Published: Feb 21, 2017, 11:55 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 21, 2017, 11:57 AM (IST)
New Delhi: Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli has expressed his gratitude to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after the latter congratulated the swashbuckling batsman, for signing a whopping Rs. 110 crore deal with sports brand Puma by becoming their brand ambassador. By bagging an eight-year endorsement contract, Kohli also became the first Indian sportsperson to grab a single deal worth Rs 100 crore or above. Although former Indian skipper MS Dhoni and master blaster Sachin Tendulkar have been a part of the Rs 100 crore club, they did so with multi-year contracts with various brands. Congratulating Kohli on becoming the latest sports star to endorse Puma, Bolt tweeted, “Great choice @imVkohli Time to go to the next level #ForeverFaster”
“Great choice @imVkohli
Time to go to the next level #ForeverFaster”— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) February 20, 2017
I wish I could get as fast as you someday @usainbolt. Thanks legend. @PUMA #ForeverFaster
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) February 20, 2017
Few hours later, the Indian batting mainstay responded by hailing Olympic great Bolt while also expressing his desire to run as fast as the latter someday or the other. “I wish I could get as fast as you someday @usainbolt. Thanks legend,” Kohli wrote on Twitter. In 2013, Kohli had signed Rs 10-crore per-annum, three-year deal with sports goods giant Adidas. However, the deal came to an end last year and this is the first time he is endorsing a sports brand since. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia, 1st Test at Pune
The India skipper is also enjoying a good run of form at the moment. He has notched up 1168 Test runs in one season, a first by any batsman at home.
Under Kohli’s captaincy India have won 19 Tests with the recent one being against Bangladesh. Kohli will soon be back in the whites facing Australia from Thursday for four-match Test series at Pune.
