Circa 2003! PC Podar, former captain of Bengal, spotted a 22-year-old during a match in Jamshedpur and was quite impressed with him. Little did he know that the report he sent about this Jharkhand lad as part of BCCI’s Talent Resource Development Wing would churn out the world’s richest cricketer and one of the top-paid athletes.
Ten years since, Dhoni beat the likes of World No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic and No 4 Rafael Nadal, sprinter Usain Bolt and former F1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, to be ranked 16th on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes. Living legend Sachin Tendulkar too is behind Dhoni at No 51 with $22m (`125 cr). The list, published on Friday, is topped by Tiger Woods, who earns $78.1 million (`440 crore). Last year, he was pushed to third.
Dhoni is no different, sans the scandal. The spot-fixing saga, stories about conflict of interest (read Rhiti Sports management) and his not speaking a word against the BCCI have tarnished the Indian skipper’s image. But the Forbes list must have come as a blessing, for he is making news once more for the right reasons.
Brand Dhoni falls in a different league for a reason. Most of his earnings are from endorsements.
Prahlad Kakkar, one of India’s leading ad filmmakers, feels it’s Dhoni’s attitude that makes him such a special brand.