The whopping cost of Virat Kohli's batÂ
What's the story?
Virat Kohli, the skipper of the Indian cricket team, is not only the side's best batsman right now but also their most marketable personality. Everything that the 28-year-old says or does is closely monitored by the cricketing media and fans alike.
The willow that he uses to score those magnificent centuries is a major source of discussion within the cricketing community.
According to Cricwizz reports, the bat that the right-hander uses is a Grade A English Willow with a curved blade. A single unit costs somewhere around Rs. 20,000.
In case you didn't know...
A bat's price is determined by the number of grains that are present on its surface. Grains are nothing but the lines on the willow. These lines help in pinpointing the age of the bat.
More grains on the bat indicate a stronger stroke in the willow. A cricket bat with a grain range of 6 and 12 is considered to be of high quality.
The details
The bat that the Indian captain uses has grains between 8 to 12 and its price ranges from Rs. 17,000 to Rs. 23,000.
The brand value of Kohli is so high in the current market that he has overtaken MS Dhoni in bat endorsements. The MRF logo that he sports on his willow has earned him a record contract of Rs. 8 crore.
As of June 2017, the brand value of the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman is more than $120 million.
What's next?
The new bat specifications that were released by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) earlier this year put restrictions on batsmen using heavy and thick-edged willows.
Dhoni will have to change his bat before October this year so as to abide by the new regulations. However, the kind of willow that Kohli uses fits into the new specifications approved by the committee and thus will not undergo any changes.
Author's take
The fact that Kohli is the second-most followed Indian on Facebook is a testament to his ever-increasing popularity not only in the country but also across the world.
Even the smallest details associated with the Delhi batsman are scrutinized to the T and the cricketing community is eager to know anything and everything about the Indian superstar.
Another example of his increasing popularity is the fact that these bats that he buys for less than 30,000 Indian rupees are sold for many times that amount in auctions.
His popularity will only increase the expectations on him when he takes the field, but India are lucky, as Kohli tends to find his best form under pressure!