Sachin Tendulkar, 35, is third among the line of former captains, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, to be dropped by Pepsi Co India Holdings Pvt Ltd from its advertising campaigns.

According to an unnamed source from the company, Tendulkar's contract with Pepsi, expired in May this year and hasn't been renewed. However, no formal announcement has been made in this regard, by either the company or Sachin's agents.

Pepsico is now aiming only young cricketers who are famous these days. Recently, the company hired Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma for the "'Yeh hai youngistan meri jaan' campaign. Moreover, Pepsi clearly feels that Sachin's cost of Rs. 4-5 crore is very high and not value for money.

On the other hand, Tendulkar is still popular among advertisers and endorses brands, such as, Boost, Canon, Adidas, Visa, Britannia and Aviva.

According to Alok Bhardwaj, vice-president, Canon India Pvt Ltd, " Sachin is still a very strong brand in the minds of people, regardless of his performance and age."