Virat Kohli turns down multi-crore soft drink endorsement deal, here’s why

Virat Kohli is widely regarded as the man who has set the benchmark for fitness in the Indian squad. (Source: AP)

Indian captain Virat Kohli’s commitment to fitness and leading by example has been well documented. In keeping with this principle, Kohli had rejected a multi-crore offer to endorse a soft drink. According to The Hindu, Kohli confirmed the fact that he had indeed turned down the offer as it didn’t find a place in his uncompromising training regime.

Kohli’s commitment to fitness is known to have rubbed off on many of his team mates and he is widely regarded the one that has set the benchmark for fitness within the team. Earlier, he had decided against extending his six-year deal with Pepsi. “If I myself won’t consume such things, I won’t urge others to consume it, just because I am getting money out of it,” Kohli is quoted as telling CNN-IBN. “When I started my fitness turnaround, it was more of a lifestyle thing initially. If something goes away from that, I would not want to be a part of that or be promoting that. We are actually on the cusp of making some big changes on that front. Things that I’ve endorsed in the past, I won’t take names, but something that I feel that I don’t connect to anymore,” he added.

According to The Hindu, Kohli had stated once that as captain, he won’t demand from his team mates what he can’t do first. “I first convince myself I can do it and only then ask my teammates to go for it,” he said. Kohli leads India against Australia in a five-match ODI series followed by a three-match T20I series starting from September 17.