Yahoo India's Most Searched Sports Personalities of 2019

Cricketers ruled the roost, but there was a racquet-wielder who made her presence felt too!

The only player (male or female) to captain India in more than one ODI World Cup final, Mithali, in 2019, became the first woman to play in 200 ODI matches. Later, in September, she announced her retirement from T20Is to focus on ODIs and also became the first woman to complete 20 years in international cricket.

'Sir' Jadeja's World Cup showing, and his run-in with commentator Sanjay Manjrekar (who called him a 'bits and pieces cricketer), was the stuff social media dreams are made of. There is little doubt, however, that 'Jaddu' is one of the most electric players around -- with the bat or ball or even in the field.

The only non-cricketer in the list, Sindhu became the first India to win gold at the BWF World Championships in 2019. She also signed a mega-deal worth $7.2 million with the Chinese sports brand Li-Ning.

It is unclear if Hardik Pandya 'aaj kar ke aaya' or not. What is beyond doubt is that, in 2019, the younger Pandya was one of the most promising all-round talents in the country. Now that his talkshow escapades are in the past, the onus is on Hardik to focus on what catapulted him into the national consciousness - the game and nothing else.

Still one of the most loved Indian cricketers around, Ganguly ascended to one of the top positions in the country as he was elected the BCCI president late in 2019. Was this a case of political agenda and compromise? Is 'Dada' the best man for the job? No matter, he was still one of the visible faces in the country all year through.

Little can go wrong when you've been singled out by none other than MS Dhoni as his successor, right? Wrong! Young Rishabh realised this year that all the hype matters very little if it doesn't translate into performance. His botched-up DRS calls did not help his cause, either.

The man who clobbered a promising fast bowler for six sixes in an over at the World T20 announced his retirement from international cricket in 2019. That was enough for fans to frenetically google stats and videos from this talented all-rounder's storied career. May you live long and prosper, Yuvi!

A captain who leads by example. A batsman who can do no wrong. A personality who thrives on challenges. A husband who stands by his wife. A true Delhi boy who has brought new steel to the Indian cricket team. Here's hoping Kohli does one better next year. That'd be something!

From five hundreds in a single World Cup (gulp!) to staking a strong claim on one half of India's Test opening combination, the 'Hitman' had a great year with the bat. Oh, and he also won Mumbai Indians their record fourth IPL crown in 2019.

Whether for his 'slow' batting in the World Cup or speculation over his retirement or his involvement in the Amrapali case -- MSD was always in the news, and we think he kind of enjoyed it, too.