Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni Among Most Searched in 2015
Six Indians, including Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, figure in the top-10 list of most searched sportsperson on Google in 2015.
India Test cricket captain Virat Kohli is the most searched sportsperson on Google in 2015 ahead of Barcelona FC's Argentine maestro Lionel Messi. Six Indians are in the top-10 list released by Google on Wednesday.
He may have retired from cricket two years ago, but Sachin Tendulkar continues to dominate the search engines as much as India's ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Tendulkar and Dhoni are third and fourth, ahead of Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Interestingly, no sportsperson finds a spot in the top-10 most searched 'people' in India in 2015. Actress and porn star Sunny Leone leads the charts, ahead of Bollywood superstars Salman Khan (No. 2) and Shah Rukh Khan (No. 6). Late President of India APJ Abdul Kalam is No.3 on the list while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at No. 10.
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Sania Mirza, the only non-cricketer in Top 10
Sania Mirza, in seventh position, is the only Indian non-cricketer in the list while Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh are eighth and ninth ahead of World No.1 men's singles tennis star Novak Djokovic.
The year 2015 has been quite a roller-coaster ride for Kohli but he has definitely emerged as one of the most marketable Indian sportsperson.
From failing to register a win in his first four Tests as captain to leading India to a historic series win over world No.1 ranked-side South Africa at home, the 27-year-old has seen it and done it all.
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Tendulkar, Still a Master of the Game
Tendulkar made a memorable return to cricket in his joint Twenty20 venture with Shane Warne with the All Stars in the United States. Dhoni, meanwhile, has been in the news for both the good and bad reasons.
The ODI skipper has come under some heavy criticism with many cricket pundits calling for his head, the mystery surrounding the Chennai Super Kings and his new team in the Indian Premier League has also grabbed eyeballs.
Messi vs Ronaldo: Who is No.1?
The debate of who is the No. 1 footballer between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the world today will continue to be the talking point in years to come but both have failed to live up to their lofty standards this year.
Sania has been the standout Indian in terms of performance on the international stage. The Indian tennis queen has won nine titles this year, including two Grand Slam women's doubles title with her Swiss partner Martina Hingis.
Rohit Sharma might have had a year to forget with the bat but has been in the news following his enagagement and marraige, which bigwigs from the world of cricket and Bollywood attended.
While Yuvraj Singh has all also been in the news for his enagement to model-turned-actor Hazel Keech, the dashing southpaw has won over hearts with his batting prowess in domestic cricket and there has been a growing chorus for his return to the Indian ODI and T20 squads.
Men's tennis stars Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are in the list for obvious reasons. The duo have been the two biggest rivals for Grand Slam crowns this year with Rafael Nadal falling by the wayside and Andy Murray having another inconsistent season.