PV Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar beat Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni to become 'most searched sportsperson' in India

New Delhi: In an Olympic-year, Indian sportswomen emerged as the top newsmakers in the country, with PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and Vinesh Phogat proving the woman power in 2016, according to Yahoo.

On Thursday, the search engine and web portal major announced this startling facet on how Indians searched the Internet.

"The list of top newsmakers is usually ruled by politicians and Bollywood stars but in 2016, it saw the entry of P.V. Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and wrestler Vinesh Phogat," Yahoo said in a statement.

But the most fascinating aspect is that non-cricket sportspersons beating their more celebrated cricketers in the popularity charts in a cricket-obsessed country.

Badminton ace Sindhu, who won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, topped the 'most searched sportsperson” category, ahead of trend-setting gymnast Karmakar.

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar, Indian limited overs' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Test skipper Virat Kohli are the three cricketers in the to-10 list, which was dominated by women sportsperson.

Sindhu was, however, also the top newsmaker of the year. For the record, the 21-year-old is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.

And Karmakar, who missed out an a medal by a whisker, became the first Indian gymnast to compete in Olympics in 52 years.

(With Agency inputs)