Kohli tops the list but Tendulkar is never far off: What India Googled in 2015

It seems like yesterday that Virat Kohli walked out at the Sydney Cricket Ground as India’s full-time Test captain for the first time (after MS Dhoni’s retirement in Melbourne in the last Test of 2014). A hop, skip and a jump later, 2015 has drawn to a close and in the words of a famous commentator (you know who!) the year has raced to its end like a tracer bullet. As is usual, 2015 was action-packed for sports fans. The Cricket World Cup Down Under (where India ~were #ShamedinSydney~ surprised a lot of people by reaching the semi-final), a treble-winning season for Lionel Messi’s all-conquering Barcelona side, a controversy-free IPL, a see-sawing Ashes series, a breathtaking year for some Tennis stars (more on them later), a trip down memory lane for cricket’s most famous names in the recent past  - the year had it all. So who hogged the internet limelight in India? Which sportsperson got the most hits on Google from the sports-mad Indian internet community? Here are the top 10.   [caption id=“attachment_2549290” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] No surprises here. India’s Test captain, her favourite cricketing hero, Virat Kohli tops the list. The man who is as entertaining on the cricket field as he is off it, Kohli had a watershed 2015. While it was not the best of years with the willow for Kohli as he made only two Test centuries in 15 innings and two ODI centuries in 20 matches. But under his captaincy in Tests, India rose from No. 6 in Tests to No. 2, riding on back-to-back series wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa. He also reached 8 million Twitter followers - currently only a few thousand behind Sachin Tendulkar.   [caption id=“attachment_2549292” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] Lionel Messi could not lead Argentina to a win in Copa America - hosts Chile won that, ending a 99-year wait. The reason that this is significant is because that is the only event that Messi was a part of in 2015 that he did not win. Copa Del Ray - check. Spanish La Liga - check. UEFA Champions League - check. Score a truck load of goals in all competitions - check. Enough beautiful words has been written about the Magician. Wherever you are reading this from, take a couple of minutes and applaud what he achieved this year.   [caption id=“attachment_2549294” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] Death, taxes and India’s obsession over Sachin Tendulkar. He might have retired from international cricket two years ago, but Tendulkar still rules the hearts of many a Indian cricket fan. The All-Stars Cricket series in the United States, where he joined hands with Shane Warne to bring together some of the biggest names in cricket, sure played a part in him figuring this high up the list. But we are willing to bet that he would have figured here all the same.   [caption id=“attachment_2549296” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] India’s captain cool did not have the best of years, either in India’s blue or the Chennai Super Kings’ yellow. But that is only by the high standards he has set for himself. Most captains would be happy with leading their country to a creditable semi-final in the biggest cricket event and the final of IPL, but then most captains are not MS Dhoni. With series defeats against Australia, Bangladesh and South Africa, it’s fair to say Dhoni would be looking ahead to 2016 with higher hopes.   [caption id=“attachment_2549298” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] Messi might have won everything there is to be won in Spain, but Cristiano Ronaldo can never be far away from the limelight. He still had a stellar season personally, winning the Golden Boot in the Spanish League, and breaking club legend Raul’s all-time record of 323 goals. While that number in itself is remarkable, Ronaldo took 310 games to reach the mark in comparison to Raul’s 741. That’s a difference of over 400 appearances. Let that sink in.   [caption id=“attachment_2549300” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] In keeping with his most recent innovation on the court, Roger Federer managed a ‘sneak attack’ on Novak Djokovic in this list. The Serb might have had a phenomenal year, but the Swiss continues to remain more popular with the fans of the sport. If you don’t trust Google, cast your mind back to the finals at the US Open where the crowd was so heavily in favour of Federer, even taking to jeering double faults by The Djoker. The 18th slam might have eluded him in 2015, but he is as popular as ever in the circuit. And ending the year as the World No. 3 is not bad for a 34-year old, either.   [caption id=“attachment_2549302” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] It’s hard to think of an Indian sportswoman doing so well at the world stage in a calendar year as Sania Mirza did in 2015. A truly phenomenal year for the Indian star saw her forge an unstoppable partnership with Swiss Legend Martina Hingis as the two combined to win nine titles - including two Grand Slams and the coveted year-end WTA Finals. ‘Santina’, as the pair have christened themselves, were on a roll and are expected to replicate their success next year as well. Oh, there was also the small matter of winning the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award - India’s highest sporting honour.   [caption id=“attachment_2549304” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] The man that Indian cricket fans just can’t stop talking about. While Rohit Sharma had a good year with the bat in the limited overs format, the debate over his spot in the Test side has failed to die down after repeated failures. The Mumbaikar’s high-point of the year though has to be leading the Mumbai Indians’ to their second IPL title, after having a horror start to the tournament. Rohit’s captaincy and batting skills came to the fore as Mumbai completed a turnaround to thrash CSK in the finals.   [caption id=“attachment_2549306” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] He was the highest paid player in this year’s IPL as Delhi Daredevils, seeking a turnaround in their fortunes, shelled out Rs 16 crores. In return, Yuvi scored 248 runs at an average of 19.07 and a strike rate of 118.09. Talks of a comeback for Yuvraj into the national fold refuse to die down, however, and to be fair to him, India have struggled to replace his all-round abilities in the side since he fell out of favour after the last World T20. At least his father Yograj Singh is positive that his engagement to model Hazel Keech will help his son complete a comeback.   [caption id=“attachment_2549308” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”]  Getty Images[/caption] Novak Djokovic might be 10th on this list - and considering the loyalties of Indian sport fans lie mostly elsewhere, that is not entirely surprising - but the Serbian was almost unstoppable on the men’s tennis circuit in 2015. He finished the year with 11 titles, including three Grand Slams, and but for Stan Wawrinka’s impeccable backhand at Roland Garros, would have completed a calendar slam. Just like Serena Williams did in the women’s circuit, the Djoker obliterated the competition in front of him. Like _Firstpost_ wrote after his win at Flushing Meadows, what more must the man do to earn the adoration Federer demands? For his part, he will not care one bit about that as he looks all set to carry his form into 2016.