Published 11:58 IST, December 19th 2019
Virat Kohli trumps Salman Khan to jump to #1 on Forbes 2019 Celebrity 100 list
As good as the year was for King Kohli with the bat, the leap in the endorsements for the Indian skipper helped him trump Salman Khan to reach the top
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For the first time ever, a cricketer has butted out a Bollywood celebrity to top the Forbes 2019 Celebrity 100 list for India as Indian skipper Virat Kohli edged out Bollywood giant Salman Khan to grab the number one spot on the list. Virat Kohli, who was ranked at the number two spot in 2018, reached the top after Salman Khan was pushed to the number three spot. As good as the year was for King Kohli with the bat, the leap in the endorsements for the Indian skipper helped him trump Salman Khan to reach the top. Former skipper and Captain Cool MS Dhoni retained the fifth spot on the list while Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar stayed at the ninth position.
Kohli tops once again, this time on the Forbes list
Indian cricket team captain @imVkohli becomes the first-ever sportsperson to top the #ForbesIndiaCeleb100 list, with a prolific run scoring spree and a glut of endorsements. Click here for full list https://t.co/7bW2G2ODYI@imVkohli pic.twitter.com/3twvGRULtJ
— Forbes India (@forbes_india) December 19, 2019
Captain Cool retains 5th spot
Former Indian cricket team captain @msdhoni might not play Test matches anymore, but he remains tremendously popular, retaining his #5 rank on the 2019 #ForbesIndiaCeleb100 list with an estimated earnings of about Rs 136 crore and several brand endorsements#MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/wsPMDxj4hb
— Forbes India (@forbes_india) December 19, 2019
'We are one of the top sides'
Indian captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday said the way his side have been posting big totals after being put in to bat in the last few one-days showed that the team was not over-reliant on the toss. India scored a massive 387 for 5 after being put in to bat by West Indies with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hitting centuries before Kuldeep Yadav topped it up with a hat-trick to clinch a series-leveling 107-run win against the West Indies in the second ODI.
"In the last three games, including the one at Wankhede and first two ODIs (of this series), we've batted well in the first half. Batting second isn't an issue, we're one of the top sides, if not the best while chasing. As a captain, nice to see the way we've batted first after losing the toss. It shows we're not reliant on the toss," Kohli said after the match.
"It's always good to get 40-50 extra and we want to bat the opposition out of the game. Rohit and KL were outstanding, the opening partnership set it up. Shreyas and Rishabh, the way they played, was outstanding," he added.
11:17 IST, December 19th 2019