Pat Cummins’ post on COVID-19 relief efforts most retweeted tweet in India in 2021: Twitter

PTI, Dec 9, 2021, 11:07 AM IST

New Delhi: Australian cricketer Pat Cummins’ tweet about his donation to COVID-19 relief efforts in India was the most ”Retweeted Tweet of the year”, while Virat Kohli’s tweet announcing the birth of his daughter was the most liked on the microblogging platform in India this year.

#Covid19, #FarmersProtest, #TeamIndia, #Tokyo2020, #IPL2021, #IndVEng, #Diwali, #Master (movie), #Bitcoin, and #PermissionToDance (song by South Korean boy band BTS) were the most used hashtags on the platform during the year, according to Twitter’s ‘#OnlyOnTwitter: Golden Tweets of 2021’ report.

The report analyzed the number of Retweets/Likes by Twitter accounts in India between January 1 – November 15, 2021.

”As the second COVID-19 wave hit India, people from across the world came forward to support the country. Among them was Australian cricketer Pat Cummins, who made a donation towards COVID relief in India, and took to Twitter to encourage others to do the same. The generosity of the Tweet received gratitude from people all over the country, making this the most Retweeted Tweet in India in 2021,” Twitter said.

This Tweet – which has been retweeted 114,000 times to date – was also the most Quote Tweeted this year (21,900).

Earlier this year, cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife, actor Anushka Sharma welcomed their first child. Kohli’s Tweet announcing the arrival of their daughter was ecstatically received by the couple’s fans, and all of India, making it the ‘Most Liked Tweet’ of 2021 (538,200 likes).

Last year, Kohli’s Tweet announcing Sharma’s pregnancy became the ‘Most Liked Tweet of 2020’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet sharing a picture of him getting his first COVID-19 vaccine became the ‘Most Retweeted Tweet in Government’.

The Tweet also expressed gratitude to doctors, scientists, and medical workers for their undeterred contribution towards the COVID-19 battle. It has since then been retweeted 45,100 times and received 225,800 likes.

Modi’s tweet congratulating #TeamIndia for their historic test win against Australia at the Gabba emerged as the ‘Most Liked Tweet in Government’ this year (298,000 Likes).

This October, the Tata Group welcomed back Air India into its fold – after nearly 70 years of the airlines being state-owned. Expressing his delight at the development, Ratan Tata – Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons – tweeted a heartfelt note saying, “Welcome back, Air India”, with an iconic picture of the early Air India planes.

Just like the news, the tweet generated conversations on Twitter, becoming the ‘Most Retweeted Tweet in business’. This Tweet was also the most Liked Tweet in business this year. It has since then been retweeted 82,900 times and received 404,000 Likes.

Actor Vijay’s tweet about the first look of his much-awaited movie #Beast was the most retweeted in entertainment and the most liked tweet in entertainment as well in the year 2021 (139,600 Retweets and 341,600 Likes).

In the sports category, Virat Kohli’s appreciation tweet for MS Dhoni’s match-winning play during the IPL was the most retweeted in sports this year. Dhoni had #CricketTwitter buzzing with his final-over masterstroke against Delhi Capitals that carried Chennai Super Kings into the season’s semi-finals. Among the awe-struck fans was Kohli, who hailed his contemporary by calling him ‘King’ in an all-hearts appreciation tweet.

This post was retweeted 91,600 times and was also the most Liked Tweet in sports in 2021 (529,500 Likes).

While foreseeably, #Covid19 was the most Tweeted hashtag in the current affairs category this year, the Taliban’s takeover of #Afghanistan also kept Indians talking on Twitter and young job aspirants demanded the Staff Selection Commission to release #CGL19marks.

Conversations expressing pride and gratitude for our soldiers surfaced through the year with #IndianArmy, and the flash floods in #Uttarakhand also had people Tweeting in support, expressing concerns, and sharing updates about the state in the current affairs category, as per the report.

”Whether it was people connecting with strangers on Twitter during the COVID-19 second wave in India and turning the service into a real-time helpline, or forging friendships and announcing them to the world through hashtags like #WeMetOnTwitter. From #Tokyo2020 to #CricketTwitter, people came to the service to watch sports together, and have a conversation in real-time,” Twitter said.

The year also saw the introduction of Twitter Spaces – a new audio format on the platform – that ”encouraged and unlocked real, open conversations on Twitter with an authenticity, nuance, depth, and power only the human voice can bring.”