Virat Kohli won contract with Nike before RCB or Team India: Ex-selector Jatin Paranjpe

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is one of the few cricketers that has been fast-tracked into international cricket. The batsman shot to the limelight when he led India to victory in the U-19 World Cup held in 2008 in Malaysia. Several members of the cricket fraternity have shared interesting anecdotes about Virat Kohli’s younger days. The latest one shared by former selector Jatin Pranjpe revealed the story of Virat Kohli’s first bat deal.

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The story behind Virat Kohli-Nike deal

Jatin Paranjpe, while speaking to Gaurav Kapur on the 22 Yarns podcast, revealed how he got Virat Kohli to sign for Nike. The former selector, who was serving as Nike’s sports marketing chief from 2006 to 2012, spoke about how he offered the Nike deal to a young Virat Kohli much before he started playing for RCB or India. Throwing light on the episode, Jatin Paranjpe said that at the time, Nike had only S Sreesanth as a cricket athlete with them, which was an extremely dangerous situation. He revealed that at the time, the concept of a Nike bat wasn’t discussed, as the sportswear company was only focused on footwear, shoes, etc.

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Pranjpe then went on to narrate how he saw Virat Kohli in an India U-19 camp along with another Delhi batsman Tanmay Srivastava. The former selector explained how through his network of coaches, he started seeing a lot of matches, and it was in one of these matches where he saw Virat Kohli playing in a U-19 camp before the 2008 World Cup. The 48-year-old later revealed how Virat Kohli was his first signing when it came to endorsing the Nike bat, as he saw the hunger and determination to make his team win, in the player's eyes itself.

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Virat Kohli endorsed Nike for 5 years 

The RCB captain played with a Nike bat for many years, before finally moving onto MRF in 2013. The Virat Kohli-Nike relationship ended sourly, as the RCB captain was sued for a breach of contract in 2013. The sports company had accused Virat Kohli of breaching the contract by claiming that the talismanic batsman had refused to continue as Nike’s brand ambassador till 2014.

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How much is the Virat Kohli net worth?

The story narrated by the famous Jatin Paranjpe is just one of the many which tell how the Virat Kohli net worth has increased over the years. The player is regularly seen endorsing brands and investing in ventures. The Indian captain recently jointly invested in Digit Insurance along with his wife Anushka Sharma. The RCB captain was also ranked 66th in the Forbes' list of world's highest-paid athletes.

According to multiple reports, the Virat Kohli net worth can be estimated at around ₹900 crore. The Virat Kohli net worth majorly comprises of his earnings from his business ventures and endorsements and a major chunk is also earned from the Virat Kohli salary paid by the BCCI and RCB. The RCB captain is also the highest-paid player in IPL, with the Kohli IPL salary amounting to ₹17 crore. The Kohli IPL salary is even more than players like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. 

Disclaimer: The above Virat Kohli net worth and Virat Kohli IPL salary information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures. 

Image Coutesy: instagram/jats72, PTI