Virat Kolhi leads the line in the most searched marquee star among the cricket players on Google ahead of the Cricket World Cup. (Reuters)
Fans from across the world are driving the ICC World Cup 2015 buzz on digital domain to new heights, reveals Google search.
Search trends reveal India’s undying love for the game as defending champion TEAM INDIA emerges as the top contender for this year’s World Cup being followed closely by Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies.
Among the marquee stars, Virat Kohli followed by Indian skipper MS Dhoni remained the most sought after player. The Indian duo are closely being followed by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi. The other foreign players who’re witnessing strong support online include David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith.
Among the captains, search trends show MS Dhoni to be the most searched captain followed closely by AB de Villiers (South Africa), Michael Clarke (Australia), Eoin Morgan (England), and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan).
Interestingly Australian and English players are dominating the top searched bowlers list in the ICC World Cup 2015. Bowlers who fans consider to be the main threat to batsmen are Mitchell Johnson (Australia), James Anderson (England), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Stuart Broad (England) and final Mohammed Shami (India). Interestingly no bowler from South Africa, West Indies or New Zealand features in this line-up of the top bowlers.
On the other side of the fence, the all-rounders being rooted for the most by fans across the cricketing world and expected to deliver the most solid and consistent performance with both bat and ball are Stuart Binny (India), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Steve Smith (Australian), Ravindra Jadeja (India) and Shane Watson (Australian).
Fans have not discounted the Hot Steppers (Wicket keepers), who combining both strength and agility will be holding fort from behind the stumps. Top searched favourites include Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Quinton de Kock (South African), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand), and Brad Haddin (Australian), who fans will be counting on for great action around the stumps.
Even as support by fans for the India team continues to grow on the digital stage, the upcoming match between arch rivals India and Pakistan promises to redefine search trends data and create a new list of favourites.
Popular Teams (Battle of Battles)
India
Australia
England
Pakistan
West Indies
The Captain- Leading from the Front
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
AB de Villiers
Michael Clarke
Eoin Morgan
Misbah-ul-Haq
Popular Players- The Marquee Stars*
Virat Kohli
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Shahid Afridi
Rohit Sharma
Suresh Raina
Pace Bowlers- The Snipers-
Mitchell Johnson
James Anderson
Mitchell Starc
Stuart Broad
Mohammed Shami
All Rounders- The Versatiles
Stuart Binny
Shakib Al Hasan
Steve Smith
Ravindra Jadeja
Shane Watson