New Delhi, Dec. 6 -- In October, when the Indian cricket team walked on to the pitch in Ahmedabad during the Test series against West Indies with the Apollo Tyres logo on their shirts, it was a moment of intense pride for Neeraj Kanwar. "It's not just a logo. It is India's cricket team jersey that sports Apollo Tyres," he says.

The managing director of the Gurugram-headquartered multinational tyre company, founded in 1972 by his grandfather Raunaq Singh, says the Rs.579-crore, three-year deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to become the principal sponsor of the national team was a well thought-out marketing move.

"We are reaching tier 2, 3, 4 markets in India and also wherever cricket and the Indian team is being ...