Cricket World Cup: Who to follow on social media

Indian captain Virat Kohli has more followers than Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter. Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Indian captain Virat Kohli has more followers than Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter. Photo: Action Images via Reuters

Published May 28, 2019

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We are living in the digital age where social media is used by most people, and cricketers are no exception.

Due to the population sizes, popularity of cricket and easily available internet access in the sub-continent, players from this region dominate the social media arena, in terms of numbers, at the Cricket World Cup...

1 Virat Kohli (@imVkohli)

Kohli has been the face of Indian cricket since the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar in 2014, and it comes as no surprise that he has the biggest social media following from all cricketers playing in the 2019 World Cup. King Kohli has over 34 million followers on Instagram and more than 29 million on Twitter.

The Indian captain is ahead of Tendulkar, who has 29.2 million followers on Twitter.

2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni)

Now aged 37, Dhoni is one of the most respected Indian cricketers of the modern generation. He led his country to victory during the 2011 World Cup, and there is no doubt that they will be calling upon his knowledge again this year in England.

Dhoni has 7.3 million followers on Twitter and 12.1 million on Twitter. He may be well behind Kohli, but it is interesting to note that unlike many of his contemporaries, he is not very active on social media.

3 Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45)

The Indian vice-captain is one of the most popular individuals in India, and he is deserving of the accolade.

He remains the only player to have scored three double centuries in international limited-overs cricket, and holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in international 50-overs cricket (264) against Sri Lanka.

Rohit is active on Instagram, often posting pictures with his wife Ritika. He is also no stranger to commenting on the posts of his fellow cricketers.

View this post on Instagram

Bus drives are fun! PS - listen carefully! @kedarjadhavofficial @royalnavghan

A post shared by Rohit Sharma(@rohitsharma45) on May 26, 2019 at 6:54am PDT

4 Shikhar Dhawan (SDhawan25)

With well over 100 limited-overs appearances under his belt, Dhawan has been a key part of India’s side for a few years. He has gained popularity in India and throughout the world due to his high-energy performances on the field.

The Thigh-Five celebration has seen his popularity rise significantly. Dhawan has 3.6 million followers on Twitter.

5 Chris Gayle (@henrygayle)

Due to his explosive hitting and liveliness on and off the field, Gayle has become one of the most figures in international cricket and one of the most celebrated limited-overs cricketers. Gayle has 4.3 million followers on Twitter and 2.4 million on Instagram.

Honourable Mention: Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62)

Steyn has spearheaded the Proteas bowling department for

well over a decade, and is one of the most popular fast-bowlers in the world,

due to his ruthless aggression and ability to take wickets on a regular basis.

The Phalaborwa Express’ international career may soon end,

but there is no doubt that he will have a lot of lucrative T20 offers from

around the world once he finishes his Proteas career due to his popularity.

Steyn has the most social media followers from the

South African players at the World Cup. He boasts 3.2 million on Twitter and

1.3 million on Instagram.

@eshlinv

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