Coke ropes in Sachin, strikes deal for nearly Rs 20 cr

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is understood to have finalised a three year endorsement deal estimated around Rs 20 crore with beverage major Coca Cola, after rival PepsiCo dropped him about two-and-half years back.

According to industry sources, Coke has struck a three year deal estimated to be worth around Rs 6 crore per year with the ace batsman.

PepsiCo had dropped Tendulkar as part of its strategy to phase-out aging brand ambassadors, which included ex-India captains Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Instead, PepsiCo had roped in younger celebrities, including Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, as part of its Youngistaan campaign.

Coke will be shooting a new television commercial early next month for Tendulkar which has been scripted by noted adman and writer Prasoon Joshi, a source added.