Reason why Virat Kohli topped the Forbes India Celebrity list

The dream run of the Indian Test skipper does not seem to have an end. After a rollicking year on the cricket field, the Indian batting star topped the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List. Kohli raced ahead of the big celebrity names like Bollywood Super Stars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Surely, Kohli has a big fan following that has helped him reach the zenith of the popularity.

He started with a brilliant batting performance down under and followed it up with a sensational World T20 outing. His form continued to rule in the IPL where he hit a record 4 centuries. The action moved to the longer format and Virat led from the front. With 3 double centuries this year, he helped Team India remain unbeaten in Tests this year.

Now, when the Forbes released its India Celebrity 100 List on Friday, it came as no surprise that Kohli topped the charts. When it came to the earnings, he is ranked third in the list. He was behind Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, who took the top two slots in terms of earnings. Among the other cricketers in the top 100 list was Indian limited-overs cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He featured at the fourth spot.

Yuvraj Singh, who recently got hitched, bagged the 13th spot and Rohit Sharma was placed at 17. Kohli’s annual earning estimated worth was 134.44 INR crores. Last year, he was behind MS Dhoni on the list and was 7th in the top 100. Dhoni finished the year with earnings of 122.48 INR crore to finish 5th in terms of income.

The key parameter that helped Virat Kohli pip all other celebrities in the overall fixture was the social media outreach, the followers, and the media visibility on television and print media. Virat has a staggering fan following of 13.4 million on Twitter. His fan base can be largely accredited to the fact that Kohli has had an exceptional run as captain and as a batsman. He is unbeaten in the 22 matches that he has captained India in.

Virat’s official Facebook page also posted the cover of the Forbes magazine that bears his photo: