'Brand' Virat Kohli at crossroads!

Mumbai: Even as Virat Kohli calls it a day from his captaincy for India's cricket test matches after having held the fort for seven years in the past, the brand experts feel that even cricket captains have an expiry date.

Kohli's abrupt announcement came a day after India suffered an embarrassing Test series defeat against South Africa. The announcement ends Kohli's tenure as captain across all three formats of international cricket.

In fact, they don't see anything unusual in the Virat's act of stepping down from captaincy. Rather, they see light at the end of the tunnel. Also, they believe that if after relinquishing the captaincy, he (Virat) has better scores on the field, his brand equity will sustain longer. It is to be noted there are 68 Test matches under his belt, including 40 victories along with 20 centuries.

Kohli (33) has said that he did his job with 'an absolute honesty' and time was right to quit his longest ever leadership role.

In a social media post, Virat said: "It's been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day to take the team in the right direction. I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 per cent in everything I do, and if I can't do that, I know it's not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team."

Virat went on: "I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual, who could take Indian Cricket forward." However, experts have also voted for Virat's decision to leave captaincy. Moreover, they feel that the show will go on as the new person will replace Virat. Some feel that his brand image will take a hit after quitting as captain.

Talking to Bizz Buzz, Ad Guru, Harish Bijoor, says: "Virat Kohli brought in an aggressive captaincy for the last seven years with pizzazz and panache. He emerged one of the most successful Indian captains of all time! We need to credit him for that!"

But then even cricket captains have an expiry date. The new shall replace the old, and it shall be cricket as usual, he added.

"I think this is the beginning of the end. Sans the captaincy the avalanche of endorsements will abate substantially. Now, if his willow does not do the talking, the decline will be rapid. If after relinquishing the captaincy he has better scores on the field, his brand equity will sustain longer," says Sandeep Goyal, Chairman, Mogae Media, which is into media consultancy.

"Overall, this is a major crossroad for him commercially. Most brands are fence sitters. If he plays well again, there will be loyalty, and if he doesn't, don't be surprised if many drop him or ask for a lower price", he added.

Unfortunately, Kohli had been hogging controversies one after another in the recent past, the most conspicuous among them being his unceremonious removal as Indian captain from ODIs by BCCI.