Virat Kohli is the most popular cricketer in the world: SEMrush Study

While it might not come as a surprise, a study has confirmed that India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli is the most popular cricketer in the world. Team India has emerged as the most popular cricket team in the world, according to the study.

According to a SEMrush study, people searched Kohli online an average of 16.2 lakh per month from January to June this year. On the other hand,  the Indian cricket team was searched an average of 2.4 lakh times per month during the same time period.

Opener Rohit Sharma, former skipper MS Dhoni, and Hardik Pandya also featured in the top 10. As far as the cricket teams were concerned, India led the chart followed by England, Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe. 

The study also provided an insight into the ever-growing popularity of the women’s cricket. India opener Smriti Mandhana and Australia’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry were 12th and 20th most searched cricketers respectively, topping names like Yuvraj Singh and Shikhar Dhawan.

"While we are not entirely surprised by the results of our study, we are excited nonetheless. Finding that Virat Kohli is the most searched cricketer, and India, the most searched cricket team is unsurprising, what's surprising is that women cricketers are being searched more often than a lot of top-rated men," Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush said.

"Our study suggests that stereotypes of cricket as a man only sport no longer hold. There is considerable enthusiasm about women cricketers and women playing cricket. In the future, there are likely to be many more women playing cricket, and India, as the most important cricket playing nation, is likely to supply many of them," he concluded.