MS Dhoni beats Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar as the most popular Indian sportsperson

When it comes to cricket in India, the first name in the minds of the fans will always be Sachin Tendulkar. Even years after retirement, the 'Master Blaster' remains the best of all, no matter what. But if you ask the fans about the best cricketer currently, there would be a unanimous answer - Virat Kohli. Team India skipper is arguably one of the best players in the world, and some even consider him as good as Sachin.

Though, in terms of popularity, it has been revealed that there is someone else more popular than the duo. Former Indian skipper and World Cup 2011 winning captain MS Dhoni has been voted as the most popular sportsperson in the country. In a survey conducted by YouGov, 'Mahi' achieved 7.7% of votes. Sachin attained 6.8% of the votes, whereas Kohli was the most popular amongst 4.8% users. 

While Dhoni may be favorite for the fans on internet, on the ground, Kohli is dominating the proceedings. The 29-year-old was awarded the 'International Player of the Year' award by England's famous fan club, 'Barmy Army'. They handed the award to the Indian superstar following the end of Day One of the tour match between Essex and India.

Furthermore, as far as 'Instagram Rich List', Kohli is the king, whereas, Dhoni is nowhere to be seen. The Indian skipper stands 17th in the overall rankings, and ninth when it comes to sports-persons. Hopperhq.com reveals that a sponsored post of his costs a whopping $120,000. Cristiano Ronaldo is on top when it comes to sports-persons. The Portugese superstar, who has an astonishing 133,000,000 followers on the social media website, is overall the third richest on Instagram, and charges an astonishing $750,000 per post.

Kohli also dominates when it comes to the richest sports-persons of 2018. The Indian skipper was the only cricketer, and only one from the country to feature in the list. Forbes report that his pay in 2018 would be $24 million, which puts him 83rd in the rankings. Boxer Floyd Mayweather was on top of the list with a reported earning of $285 million. He was followed by Messi and Ronaldo, whose pay are $111 million and $108 million respectively.