Abhishek Sharma’s meteoric rise in 2025 has not only thrilled Indian fans but has also left a remarkable imprint across the border in Pakistan. According to Google’s search trends for 2025, the young left-handed opener emerged as the most-searched athlete in Pakistan, generating even more buzz there than in India. He topped a list otherwise dominated by Pakistani names such as Hassan Nawaz, Irfan Khan Niazi, Sahibzada Farhan, and Muhammad Abbas.
This spike in popularity is no surprise. Abhishek’s fearless stroke play during the 2025 Asia Cup turned him into one of India’s biggest talking points. His explosive 31 off 13 balls in the group-stage match against Pakistan set the tone, and he followed it up with a stunning 74 off 39 in the Super Four clash, making him India’s most threatening batter in an otherwise inconsistent campaign.
Though Faheem Ashraf dismissed him cheaply in the final, India lifted the trophy—cementing Abhishek’s rising-star status. Back home, Abhishek was the third-most-searched Indian on a top-10 list dominated entirely by cricketers.
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Leading the charts were IPL sensations Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya. Sooryavanshi, just 13, stunned the cricketing world with his sensational IPL debut followed by a record-breaking century, while Arya shone brightly for Punjab Kings.
Abhishek Sharma is the most popular player in Pakistan #abhisheksharma #indvspak #pakistancricket pic.twitter.com/yQ7uz1QEJF
— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) December 8, 2025
Women’s cricket also made its mark, with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and World Cup semifinal hero Jemimah Rodrigues featuring prominently. Three Chennai Super Kings prospects—Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, and Urvil Patel—also broke into the top 10, reflecting the franchise’s strong scouting and fan traction.
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Karun Nair and Mumbai Indians’ Vignesh Puthur rounded off the list. Notably, the IPL dominated overall search trends in India, with four of the five most-searched sporting events being cricket, underlining the sport’s overwhelming popularity in the country.
