India's new Test captain, , had a long-standing association with CEAT, which started during his India Under-19 days. However, earlier this year, he signed a bat sponsorship deal with MRF, which has been associated with some of the biggest names in Indian cricket over the years.

Meanwhile, former India captain has been using MRF bats since 2014. During his Under-19 days and even for his international debut in 2008, the Delhi batter used a BDM Dynamic bat. From 2009 to 2013, he switched to Nike before moving over to MRF. Kohli still uses MRF stickers on his bat.

Shubman used the MRF-stickered bat for the first time in the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final clash between India and Australia. However, the right-handed batter was dismissed cheaply by Ben Dwarshuis, scoring just eight runs off 11 balls.

Kohli's overall bat contract is worth INR 100 crore, approximately, as per reports. He earns around INR 12.5 crore per year from MRF. Meanwhile, Shubman's bat sponsorship deal is estimated to be worth INR 8-10 crore per year. While exact figures haven't been disclosed, the Punjab batter is reportedly paid in a similar range as the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.

Apart from Shubman, Kohli, and Tendulkar, MRF has had associations with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Brian Lara, Gautam Gambhir, Steve Waugh, and AB de Villiers.

Shubman is considered by many as India's next batting superstar after Kohli. The youngster shares a great bond with the veteran and looks to pick his brains as much as he can to make improvements in his game. It won't be ideal to compare Shubman's stats to Kohli's as the latter has played more than five times the international matches as the former.

The 25-year-old Shubman has played just 32 Tests (59 innings) so far. Since both of them value the red-ball format so much, CricTracker takes a look at how their stats compare after 32 Tests. Shubman has scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.06, registering seven fifties and five centuries. Meanwhile, after 32 Tests (57 innings), Kohli had 2354 runs under his belt at an average of 44.41. He notched up 10 fifties and nine centuries at the time.