MS Dhoni overtakes Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli to become 3rd most influential Indian

Former Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni pipped iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar and current Indian captain Virat Kohli to become the third most influential Indian. According to a recent survey from the YouGov Influencer Index 2018, the game's most coveted skipper is just behind the veteran actor, Amitabh Bachchan and actress Deepika Padukone on the list that comprises several Bollywood as well as sports personalities. The survey was conducted through online voting for around 60 top Indian celebrities to determine their popularity, influence and trustworthiness among the people.

Legendary actor, Amitabh Bachchan has been adjudged the most influential Indian followed by the recently-wed Bollywood actress, Deepika Padukone and MS Dhoni. While Deepika is the most influential female celebrity, it must be noted that the World Cup-winning captain is the most influential sportsperson ahead of his former teammate Sachin and current skipper Kohli. While Sachin is on the fourth spot, Virat Kohli is placed at sixth preceded by actor Akshay Kumar. Virat Kohli is followed by actors Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan who occupy seventh and eighth spots respectively. Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra complete the last two spots in the top-10 list.

With all major ICC trophies

Clearly, the love, respect and craze for Dhoni- the only International captain to win all the major ICC tournaments is sky high. Though he retired from the ultimate format of the game (Tests) in December 2014 and is currently not a part of the Indian T20 squad, his popularity is just as enormous as the records he created on the field. Even in the IPL when he dons the CSK jersey, fans throng the stadiums in numbers to witness his magic in the Yellow shirt.

From leading a young Indian squad to the inaugural ICC World T20 title back in 2007 to leading the nation in 200 ODIs recently, MS Dhoni has been the face of Indian cricket for more than a decade now. For a person who has won almost every possible title in a cricketing career- the World Cup, ICC World T20, Asia Cup, Test mace (number one Test side), IPL and the now-defunct Champions League T20, this is just another feather in the cap. Kudos, to the most influential Indian sportsperson- MS Dhoni.