Dhoni to endorse pepsi and sachin to coke

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Ahead of world cup many of the companies are looking for big players to endorse their brands. Latest in the row is Beverage maker Coca-Cola, which is currently discussing an endorsement deal with Indian star Sachin Tendulkar.

A celebrity management official familiar with the development told reporters, “Coke is very keen to have Tendulkar on board.” But on the other side he clarified that no contract has been signed yet between Coca-Cola and Sachin.

When contacted a Coca-Cola India spokesman, he said, “We are always in discussions with any number of leading celebrities with regard to their support of our brands and initiatives, but we only announce formal agreements after they are signed.”

Dhoni leaves for south africa test series

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Besides Dhoni and Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Sreesanth, Wriddhiman Saha, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma and Team manager Ranjib Biswal also departed for Cape Town via Dubai for the three-match Test series beginning Dec 16.

Sehwag was supposed to leave with the first batch on Dec 6 but changed his plans as he was indisposed.

The first batch comprised Cheteshwar Pujara, Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav and coach Gary Kirsten. V.V.S.Laxman and Rahul Dravid left for South Africa on Tuesday.

The remaining members, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Murali Vijay who are playing ODIs against New Zealand that conclude on December 10, would leave on December 12. The three-Test series against South Africa start on December 16 at Centurion.

Dhoni signs endorsement for Rs26 crores

MS Dhoni. Earlier this week, the 29-year-old signed a three-year contract with the UB group worth Rs 26 crore — a deal that has catapulted him to the league of Bollywood superstars Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. Something India’s most successful
cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar is yet to do.

So, what makes Dhoni so special? “He is the best package for any brand today, he’s worked hard and groomed himself,” says adman Piyush Pandey. “Dhoni’s become polished, he can speak well and the team keeps winning under him,” says adman Prahlad Kakkar.

However, some feel his appeal is largely because of the game. “There’s only one thing in India and that is cricket,” says Olympian, boxer Vijender Singh. “Jo dikhta hai, wohi bikta hai, A cricketer is a lot more visible, our game gets over in 15 minutes, while people can see them for five days,” he adds.

While Dhoni may be raking in the moolah, it’s still peanuts compared to what International sportstars earn. Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, earns Rs 360 crore (£70 million pounds) in endorsements each year. “It’s unfair to
compare. A lot depends on the economy as well. But if you want to make a player rich, make the game rich first,” says Pandey.

Dhoni to attend national games

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"The opening and the closing
ceremonies of the games are considered big occasions. I personally prefer to be there either in the opening or the closing ceremony if the dates are fixed in the first week (of February)," Dhoni told newsmen in Ranchi on Saturday night at the residence of chief minister Arjun Munda, who hosted a dinner in his honour.

Pointing out that his presence at the games would depend on the schedule of World Cup camp ahead of the two warm up games, Dhoni said that he would like to spend time with the state players at the Games for a day or two which would have a positive impact on them.

The cricketer also expressed his plans to set up a sports academy covering all sporting disciplines in his endeavour to encourage and train the prospective talents. The chief minister reiterated his government’s commitment to host the national games.

"Many people doubt about staging the games. But I reiterate my commitment that National Games will be held after the (ongoing) panchayat polls," Munda said, dispelling doubts about fate of the games which have been postponed seven times since 2007.