Mumbai, May 15 -- So many landmarks unconquered, so many peaks he couldn't attain. A sub-10,000-run Test career? Who could have predicted that when Virat Kohli was in his pomp... For Kohil fans, his Test retirement is the second instalment of his fading away from cricket consciousness after his T20I exit in 2024. That being so, his brand still holds promise to grow further. His brand has already reached where no cricketer ever has. Interestingly, it was during his tenure as India's most successful Test captain that his brand hit the ceiling. In an age where every promotional celebrity Instagram post comes at a high cost, Kohli, the most expensive brand, is who advertisers still turn to for instant recall. Talent spotters saw an early spark. Even before he led India to victory in the U-19 World Cup in 2008, Kohli had signed his first contract for Nike. 'Cheeku' to his fans, Kohli would cover drive with Nike pasted on his bat, to Sachin Tendulkar's MRF. It was a time when Nike was making a foray in the bat sponsorship space and Kohli was the first rising star they trusted. Kohli's career took rapid strides with his ODI debut in 2008, T20I debut in 2010 and Test debut in 2011. In 2013, Kohli brought his Nike deal to a premature close. By then Kohli had ironed out creases in his game, begun sporting a sharp beard and turned a style icon. From Pepsi to MRF, Tissot to Colgate, Samsonite to Audi, Kohli's multi-crore endorsement list was on the rise. Tendulkar's stellar career was over in 2013. Kohli took the baton forward; he began charging the biggest sum to sport the MRF sticker. "Virat was the fiery Sachin Tendulkar," said Shailendra Singh, brand guru. "Sachin's cricket was unparalleled. But he lacked the spice, the flamboyance, youth connect, the tattoos, the aggression on the field. Virat brought all that at the right time because India had 600 million people below the age of 25 and he became their youth icon." Kohli would strike a deal with Adidas in 2014, then move to Puma in 2017. With Puma, his was the most publicised Rs.100 crore long-term deal. Another Rs.100 crore-plus contract extension with MRF followed. By now, Kohli was India captain across formats. He would go on to reject a multi-crore deal with a cola giant to stay true to his image of a health-conscious athlete. His transformation from a paratha-eating West Delhi boy to this modern athlete with a chiseled physique became a defining feature of his brand. "Even on the field, his energy was infectious. He had this unique brand connect. That is why he got the endorsements he did," Singh said. "The important thing was in all this, he never let it affect his performance, until he resigned as captain." A few years before Kohli resigned as captain in 2022, his performances with the bat had begun to take a hit. But India's consumption story with the growing middle class and rise of a new class of elites had already propelled Kohli's unrivalled brand to the top tier. Kroll conducts a celebrity brand valuation survey each year and Kohli continues to top the charts. At last count in 2024, he was still No.1 with a brand value of $227.9 million. Repeatedly, Kohli is also the only cricketer to feature among Forbes' list of highest paid global sports athletes. Cricket is yet to become truly global, but the distance it has travelled in the last decade, Kohli's brand has led the way to widen its reach. Kohli would be given disproportionate broadcast coverage for eyeballs. No pre-series promos would be complete without him. "It's up to his managers now to see if they can turn him into a legacy brand," said Singh....