Virat Kohli replaces MS Dhoni as the PepsiCo Icon

PepsiCo had announced that they have brought an end to the 11-year-old association with India’s limited overs skipper MS Dhoni, who will not feature anymore for the cola brand. The star Indian batsman and the Test skipper Virat Kohli is a top choice for being his replacement, apart from Bollywood superstars Ranbir Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra as brand ambassadors.

The news came in a couple of days after the Indian skipper MS Dhoni failed to take India over the line in the first T20 international against West Indies in the 2-match T20I series. This move might also be because of the lack of Dhoni’s presence in the screen from the Test format and India is heading towards a long Test series.

PepsiCo VP for beverages Vipul Prakash said, “At PepsiCo, our focus in advertising and marketing is to make our products the hero and celebrate the hero. The idea will always play the most important role. If there’s a role for the celebrity that helps take forward the idea of celebrating our product, we’re more than happy to taking it further.”

Earlier, MS Dhoni became the PepsiCo Icon replacing former Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, and now Virat came in as the replacement for Dhoni as the clock ticks over.

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Dhoni was endorsed by 18 brands until 2014 and the numbers are decreasing as different brands have confirmed that they are not associated with the cricketer anymore. Besides Pepsi, others like Sony TV and Dabur confirmed they are no longer associated with the cricketer.

Post his retirement from Test cricket, he is losing his brand and the run-machine of Indian cricket is the frontline choice to be his replacement.