A cricket match between India and Pakistan is among the most-keenly followed sporting events in the world and it was no different when the two sides faced off against each other at the ICC World T20.
According to analytics released by Twitter, as many as 1.1 million tweets were created using the hashtag #INDvPAK, which makes it the second most popular hashtag of 2016 in India.
It comes as no surprise that #Rio2016 was the most tweeted hashtag in India this calendar year. The Olympics are considered as the biggest sporting event in the world and it was well-watched in India this time around, despite the country winning only two medals.
Interestingly, seven out of the top ten trends are from sports – with two being related to the Olympics and five to cricket [all occurring during the ICC World T20].
For the first time ever, the World T20 was held in India with the hosts reaching the semi-finals before losing out to eventual champions West Indies.
#YearOnTwitter Can you guess the list of the top 10 Twitter Hashtag Trends in #India for 2016? It was a great year for sports! #ThisHappened pic.twitter.com/mZg1pjAA47
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) December 6, 2016
Meanwhile, the country’s female performers at Rio 2016 and the India-Pakistan World T20 match were the second and third most influential moments for the entire country on Twitter in 2016.
Both of India’s medals at Rio 2016 were won by female participants, PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik, while Dipa Karmakar created history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to take part at the Olympics.
She came agonisingly close to becoming the first Indian of either gender to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics, finishing fourth in the women’s vault event.
#YearOnTwitter Which Indian conversations rocked the world? See the most influential moments on Twitter in #India in 2016. #ThisHappened pic.twitter.com/ZJnvbm8z3E
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) December 6, 2016
