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NEW DELHI: Former India head coach and World Cup-winning all-rounder Ravi Shastri has lifted the lid on the staggering sums earned by India’s cricketing superstars, whose status and popularity are similar to global icons like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.Speaking on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast with Michael Vaughan, Shastri didn’t hold back when asked how much Indian cricketers make off the field.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“They earn a lot. They earn a lot through endorsements, for sure,” Shastri said, adding, “Upwards of Rs 100 crores. Which would say 10 million pounds.”
The revelation left the panel in awe, as Shastri broke down the math: “I would say… you just calculate 100 rupees is a pound. So you work backwards and you calculate upwards of that because someone like MS Dhoni or a Virat Kohli or a Sachin Tendulkar at his pomp, they would do over 15, 20 ads.”
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He further elaborated on how top Indian players manage their packed schedules: “It’s per day. There’s no time. They could easily do more because of the amount of cricket being played. So, you know, they’ll do an ad for a year and give a day — just one day to shoot. That’s all you’ll get. And then you play it out as many times as you want.”Shastri’s comments reflect cricket’s unmatched cultural impact in India — comparable to football’s status in Brazil or Argentina. Players like Dhoni, Kohli, and Tendulkar enjoy not only nationwide adoration but also global commercial appeal, with brand deals and social media fanbases rivaling those of Messi or Ronaldo.
