IANS

Ranchi, May 10: The magic of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not just casting a spell on the eyes of his celebrity-starved home state denizens but also prompting them to loosen their purse strings for products the cricket sensation endorses.

From motorbikes to fans, the products endorsed by Dhoni are doing brisk business in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi.

Take for example the TVS Star City motorbike, which is endorsed by Dhoni. The sale of this brand has shot up by 80 per cent.

"In the last one month the total sale of TVS Star City is 200, which is an increase of 80 percent from the preceding month," said Gautam Puri, manager, TVS Swastik showroom, Ranchi.

"It is the popularity of Dhoni which is resulting in the rise in sale of these products," said Puri.

Echoed Sachin Arya of the Sagar Sewing Machine store. "The sale of Orient fan has increased manifold. It seems that Dhoni has struck an emotional chord with the people of this state and it is impacting the sale of his endorsed products," Arya said.

It is the case with every other product endorsed by the Ranchi boy whose magic has gripped every cricket fan of the country.

"Last month I saw the advertisement of TVS Star City and instantly I decided to buy the motor bike. Three days ago I purchased the bike," said Rahul Kumar, a Ranchi youth and an ardent Dhoni fan.

"Dhoni is our role model. I want to be a cricketer like him," said Rahul.

After the ICC ranked Dhoni as number one batsman of the world the sales shot up further, Ranchi businessmen point out.