Star cricketer Babar Azam did not feature in Google's top trending searches in Pakistan for 2023 but Indian cricket team batter Shubman Gill found a place at No 8, according to Geo News. However, young Pakistan cricketers Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel along with the emerging talent Haseebullah Khan featured in the list. Pakistan Super League sensation Usman Khan also found a place in the most searched individuals in Pakistan. Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was the other cricketer to make it to the list. Vloggers Hareem Shah and Aliza Sehar were among the top searched on the search engine.
As the search engine giant 'Google' released the list of most searched topics in its entire 25-year-long history, the name Kohli popped at the top when it came to cricketers.
Since Google started to exist, some of the finest cricketers have been featured in the sporting universe. The list includes players like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, etc. But, it was Kohli who emerged as the 'most searched cricketer' in Google's history.
When it came to the most searched athlete on the list, however, Kohli wasn't the man at the top. It was Real Madrid and Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues going strong even at the age of 38 at Saudia Arabian club Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo also went on to defeat some of the biggest players in the game, especially his arch-rival Lionel Messi. The two have arguably been the finest players in the game in their generation, dominating the sport for about 15 years.
What's interesting, however, is that even Kohli is a bigger fan of Ronaldo than he is of Messi. In multiple interviews, the Indian cricket star had revealed how much he admires the Portuguese footballer.
"No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you've done in this sport and for sports fans around the world," Kohli wrote on Instagram.
"No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you've done in this sport and for sports fans around the world," Kohli had once written for Ronaldo on Instagram after the latter's team was eliminated from FIFA World Cup 2022.
"No title can explain the impact you've had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That's a gift from god. A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson.
"You are for me the greatest of all time," the post further read.