'Young, brash' Virat Kohli set to surpass Dhoni, Sachin in endorsement earnings

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is soon expected to outstrip MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar to become the world's richest cricketer.

According to News.com.au, Virat Kohli is the poster-boy of a new generation of Indians, with a motza of rich new sponsorship and endorsement deals set to send his earnings soaring to incredible levels for someone who has only played 18 Tests.

Indian captain Dhoni recently came in at No.16 on the Forbes List of the world's highest paid athletes with his annual cricket earnings, mainly from endorsements, estimated at 31.5 million dollars, the report said.

Tendulkar was the only other cricketer in the Forbes' top 100 List, coming in at No.51 with annual earnings of 22million dollars, the report added.

Kohli has just inked a 6 million dollar deal with sports goods company Adidas, also lending his face to as many as 13 other brands including Pepsi, Toyota and a brand of tyre company that once had Steve Waugh and Tendulkar as its ambassadors, the report further said.

With Tendulkar set to walk off into the sunset this year, and Kohli being groomed to inherit the Indian one-day captaincy from Dhoni, his dollar value is set to soar to staggering levels, according to the report.