PV Sindhu beats Virat Kohli to become most searched athlete in India

12/03/2016

PV Sindhu has beaten the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni to become the most searched sportsperson in India following her success at the 2016 Rio games where she won a silver medal. MS Dhoni is the highest placed cricketer on the list at 3rd place followed by Virat Kohli.

Sindhu, who became the first Indian woman to win silver at the Olympic Games, just won her first Superseries title in China a fortnight ago. Her popularity seems to be at an all-time high as she has now become a national sensation. The 21-year old also broke into the top-10 in the BWF rankings for the first time in her career. She has beaten established players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and even Sachin Tendulkar, according to a review by Yahoo.

Surprisingly, it is another Olympian, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who follows Sindhu on the list. The 23-year-old gymnast won over fans from around the globe with her excellent performance in Rio. Even though she missed out on the bronze medal by just 0.150 points, she wins silver on the list beating established players in the process.

From here on, the list becomes predictable as Indian ODI captain MS Dhoni takes the third spot with Test captain Virat Kohli following him on the list. Bollywood movie "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story" has made sure that the 2011 World Cup winning captain is not forgotten quickly.

Kohli has been in the news for a number of reasons this year. Be it his exceptional performance for both India and the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the much publicised relationship with Anushka Sharma, the press haven't given the Indian Test captain a moments peace. The 28-year-old is currently leading his team against England where India have a 2-0 lead in the 5-match Test series.

Next on the list is another Olympian Sakshi Malik, who won the bronze medal in wrestling in Rio. The Haryana girl won the first medal for India at the 2016 games in the 58kg category. Malik made history by becoming the first female wrestler from India to finish on the podium on the biggest stage.

Barcelona football star Lionel Messi is the only foreign player to feature in the list. Earlier in the year, after a loss to Chile in the Copa America final, Messi had announced his retirement from international football. However, the five-time Ballon D'Or winner later came back as Argentina were struggling to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Wrestler Narsingh Yadav, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, tennis star Sania Mirza, and badminton star Saina Nehwal complete the list.

Top 10 Most Searched Sportsperson

1. PV Sindhu

2. Dipa Karmakar

3. MS Dhoni

4. Virat Kohli

5. Sakshi Malik

6. Lionel Messi

7. Narsingh Yadav

8. Sachin Tendulkar

9. Sania Mirza

10. Saina Nehwal