Dhoni voted most popular Indian sports personality

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has trumped Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar to be named the ‘most admired’ sports figure in India.

The survey was conducted by YouGov, which undertakes various polls and surveys in their online community of over 4 million people.

Out of the various public figures in the final table, Dhoni was the top sportsperson with an ‘admiration score’ of 7.7%. On the overall table, he was only bettered by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was next best with 6.8%, while Virat Kohli managed only 4.8%.

Dhoni is the most successful India Test captain of all time, winning 27 games and leading them to the No. 1 spot in the MRF Tyres Rankings in 2009 for the first time ever.

Still playing in the ODI and T20I sides as a keeper batsman, his public spotlight shines slightly brighter than the retired Tendulkar, perhaps explaining the rankings.

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is the current crown jewel of Indian cricket, and his popularity will without doubt soar in the coming years. He has more Instagram followers than Tendulkar and Dhoni combined.