Videocon drops Dravid, Dhoni from ads

Consumer durables major Videocon on Thursday said it would pull off advertisements featuring Indian skipper Rahul Dravid and stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to save damage to the brand in the face of India's disappointing show at the cricket World Cup.

"We have not withdrawn the contract with Dhoni and Dravid, but we have decided to take a backseat and withdraw some of the advertisement insertions featuring the cricketers considering the public hue and cry against them," Videocon Industries chairman and MD Venugopal Dhoot told PTI.

India's first round exit from the World Cup after suffering defeat at the hands of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has triggered a national outcry in the country, where cricketers have come to become revered as gods.

Also, advertisers have been haggling with broadcaster Sony, which holds the rights to telecast World Cup matches in India, to renegotiate ad rates owing to fall in viewership following India's ouster from the cup.