It was a year of sports events in 2022 with the Indian Premier League (IPL), FIFA World Cup, Asia Cup, and ICC T20 dominating “Year in Search 2022” compiled by Google Trends in India. The only non-sport keyword search on the top-five list is CoWin, an application built by the Union government to locate vaccination centres, book appointments, and download vaccination certificates.
IPL, the country's most entertaining sporting event, topped the search list. The event kicked off on March 26 with the introduction of two new teams, the Lucknow Supergiants and the Gujarat Giants. The latter, led by Hardik Pandya, defeated Rajasthan Royals to win the 2022 title.
Brahmastra was a highly anticipated and heavily promoted film. Its first part, titled “Shiva”, was released in theatres on September 9. Ayaan Mukherjee directed the film, which starred Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. According to Google Trends, it was the most searched movie this year, beating even blockbusters, despite receiving only negative reviews. Apart from Brahmastra and Kashmir Files, the search list was dominated by the south Indian films KGF 2, RRR, and Kantara.
Former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was the most searched person in India this year. In May, she sparked outrage with her offensive remarks about Prophet Mohammad during a television debate. Muslims called for protests against her in various locations across the country, while Islamic nations expressed outrage at her remarks. A case was filed in the Supreme Court, which observed that "her loose tongue has set the entire country on fire." Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, was also among those named, possibly because of his ties with India and his victory that was widely celebrated in the country. Lalit Modi and Sushmita Sen also figured in the list otherwise filled with politicians.
Indians also seemed to want to know more about the Union government’s Agnipath Scheme, as it was the most searched on the list.It was announced on June 14 and will replace the current system of recruitment with appointment of Agniveers for four years in the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, with the possibility of permanent employment for a select few. The scheme was floated with the goal of ensuring a fit and technically-skilled military force. Other popular searches include North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). It appears that the Ukraine-Russia war prompted people to read more about it.