ICC World Cup 2015: Google’s digital stage showcases India’s love for cricket

The obsession for cricket in India is similar to what it is for football in Brazil and Spain. And as the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup 2015 drew to a close and the on-field battles begin, cricket enthusiasts are expressing their love for the gentleman’s game not only on-ground but even online.

According to global search trends data generated by Google search: Fans from every cricket loving nation seem to be gearing up to show support for their favourite teams and players. Currently, search queries from cricket freaks are now pouring from all corners of the world, the data added.

Google’s analysis of worldwide searches also revealed that cricket is also uniting people from across the globe. TEAM INDIA emerges as the top contender for this year’s World Cup being followed closely by Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies, the search giant added.

Among the marquee stars, Virat Kohli remained the most sought after player. He was followed by Indian skipper MS Dhoni and 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.
.
The search trends further stated MS Dhoni to be the most searched captain followed closely by South Africa’s AB de Villiers, Michael Clarke of Australia, England’s Eoin Morgan, and Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq.

The top searched bowlers list in the ICC World Cup 2015 is dominated by Australian and English players. 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). And surprisingly, 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).

Top searched Wicket keepers include Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Quinton de Kock (South African), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand), and Brad Haddin (Australian), who will be holding fort from behind the stumps, as per the data released by Google.

Even as support by cricket fans for Team India continues to grow on the digital stage set by Google, the much-awaited match between arch rivals India and Pakistan may develop new search trends.
(Image: www.icc-cricket.com)