In a surprising turn of events for 2025, Google’s search data reveals that Indian cricketer Abhishek Sharma has emerged as the most searched athlete in Pakistan. This comes as a notable departure from expectations, as prominent figures like Virat Kohli and Pakistan’s own Babar Azam did not secure the top spot. Cricket remains the dominant sport in Pakistan, and search trends reflected this with numerous cricket matches appearing as highly searched topics. However, the individual athlete searches highlight an unexpected leader.
Abhishek Sharma captured the attention of Pakistani fans during the recent Asia Cup, where India and Pakistan faced off multiple times within a short span. His aggressive batting, particularly against Pakistan’s premier bowler Shaheen Afridi, left a significant impression. Sharma’s explosive innings, including a rapid 31 runs off 13 balls in the league stage and a commanding 74 from 39 deliveries in a Super Four encounter, significantly boosted his search presence. Although his performance in the final was modest, the overall impact of his contributions in the high-stakes matches propelled him to the forefront of Pakistani Google searches.
The list of most searched athletes in Pakistan for 2025 includes Hassan Nawaz, Irfan Khan Niazi, and Sahibzada Farhan, following Abhishek Sharma. Interestingly, matches between India and Pakistan were not among the top trending searches in either country for the year. Instead, India’s most searched match was against England, while Pakistan’s searches were dominated by encounters with South Africa. In India, Abhishek Sharma also featured in the top searches, ranking third behind Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya, whose IPL performances garnered significant attention.