Google analysis points to rise in 'live searches' during World Cup

Unlike the last Cricket World Cup, in 2011, millions of fans used the internet during the Cricket World Cup 2015 (CWC) to pursue their love of the game. Google, in its latest post-World Cup trend analysis, highlights the dramatic shift in the behaviour of sports fans; recoding the shift to 'constant connectivity' driven by the rise in smartphone searches as witnessed during World Cup 2015.

The explosion of mobile queries - a staggering average of 78 per cent of cricket-related queries - highlights Indian cricket fans' desire to find out information in the moment with the device that's closest to hand: their smartphones.

The report acknowledged that availability of low-cost smartphones and dropping data plan tariffs in one of the world's fastest growing smartphone markets - India, have also contributed significantly to the surge in number of cricket-related searches emerging from smartphones during the World Cup. According to Google search trends, fans were busy searching online for noteworthy moments of the tournament, from the Duckworth-Lewis method to Virat Kohli's hairstyle, among other interesting queries touching all aspects of the game.

The buzz around Indian Premier League (IPL) that is in its eighth season can already be seen at the very start itself, and it will be interesting to see if IPL successfully overshadows cricket's most haloed event over the next few weeks. Either way, 'constant connectivity' is here to stay.