India, MSD most searched in google

Defending champions India garnered maximum search interest across participating nations, while MS Dhoni remained the most sought after captain in the digital world ahead of the cricket World Cup, according to data generated by Google search. Fans from across the world are beginning to drive huge excitement and buzz as the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup drew to a close and on-field battles begin on Saturday. Global search trends data reveals that Team India as the top popular team in this year's World Cup, followed by Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Among the marquee stars, Virat Kohli followed by Indian skipper Dhoni remained the most sought after player. The Indian duo are closely followed by Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi. The other foreign players who are witnessing strong online support include David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith. Among the captains, search trends show Dhoni to be the most searched captain followed by AB de Villiers (South Africa), Michael Clarke (Australia), Eoin Morgan (England), and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan). Interestingly, Australia and England pacers dominate top searched bowlers’ list with fans searching most for Mitchell Johnson and James Anderson.