NEW DELHI: Brands looking to tap into India's love of cricket need to consider the role of the moustache following the recent success of the national team in the Champion's Trophy tournament.

Several commentators noted the extravagant moustaches sported by some players, notably the man who won the player of the tournament award, Shikhar Dhawan.

His management company suggested that he is a "brand in the making" and Adidas is already in talks with him about brand endorsement.

"His moustache gives him a cool personality and adds that X-factor, which goes well with our lifestyle brand," Tushar Goculdas, Adidas brand director, told the Economic Times, which observed that the twirled moustache could become the new norm for brand ambassadors.

Dhawan's manager Bunty Sajdeh remarked that the subject always came up in conversations with managers of consumer brands, with most regarding it as a "great personality trait".

Sajdeh expected to announce three or four deals over the next two months. "A few brands may even highlight the moustache in their campaigns," he said.

Image consultant Chaya Momaya noted that the attitudes of players had changed and this was resonating with both fans and brands.

"They are not trying to behave like Bollywood heroes anymore," she said. "They are rather more natural, casual and raw with beards, stubbles, moustaches and grey and long hair to connect better with the fans."

Her comments were echoed by Indranil Das Blah of sports management company KWAN Sports.

"In the world of brands, it's not just about the performance on the field, but also outside," he stated.

"To be able to market themselves well to brands, cricketers need to go beyond the sports pages and be seen as lifestyle personalities, which these young boys have learnt well," he added

Data sourced from Economic Times; additional content by Warc staff