Not Kohli, Chopra or Dhoni: Surprising name becomes ‘Most searched Indian sportsperson on Google in 2022’

The year 2022 is about to end. It has been a year full of many sporting events, fulfilling the demands of sports fans across the globe. In India, many upcoming sports personalities made a big name for themselves in 2022. With only a few days left for the year to bid goodbye, Google has released the top 10 most searched people in 2022 in India. The overall list has only one sportsperson’s mention. While many would’ve expected Virat Kohli, Neeraj Chopra, MS Dhoni, etc. to make the cut, it is former Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Pravin Tambe who has topped the list among sports personalities. 

The reason for Tambe topping the elite list can be due to a biopic on his life, which was released on Disney+Hotstar in April 2022. Actor Shreyas Talpade played the titular role in the movie, which was appreciated by many for its inspirational story and acting. Tambe has had a memorable run as a cricketer. Having not played a single first-class game at any level, he was picked by the 2008 IPL champions RR at the age of 41 in 2013. He, thus, became the oldest debutant in the cash-rich league and made heads turn with a sensational hat-trick in IPL 2014, versus the Kolkata Knight Riders. Following this, he represented Mumbai in first-class cricket and also went on to feature in several leagues across the globe. 

At present, Tambe is serving as KKR’s bowling coach after he was banned by the BCCI from playing any form of Indian cricket post his participation in the T10 league in Covid-hit 2020. It is to be noted that along with Google, Tambe is also the most searched Indian sportsperson on Twitter in 2022. In addition, he occupies the ninth spot in the overall list across the nation.

Surpassing the likes of Dhoni, Chopra, Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Harmanpreet Kaur, PV Sindhu, Sania Mirza, etc. is a huge feat for Tambe in his glittering career.