From SKY's Winning Catch To Coldplay Ticket Chaos

Driven by social media, pop culture, politics, and sports, 2024 saw an explosion of viral moments in India. From the country’s long-awaited victory at the ICC World T20 to ticket chaos for Coldplay concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the year had it all. 

Here’s A look at some of the most unforgettable viral moments of 2024:

Suryakumar Yadav’s Winning Catch

Suryakumar Yadav’s incredible catch in the last over of the ICC Men’s World T20 final helped India clinch the title with a thrilling win over South Africa. India won by 7 runs, claiming their first T20 World Cup in 17 years.

Vinesh Phogat In Paris Olympics 2024

Vinesh Phogat’s dream of winning a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics ended when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected her plea for a joint silver. After defeating some A-listers, Ms Phogat advanced to the women’s 50 kg wrestling final. However, she was disqualified from the gold medal match for missing the weight limit by 100 grams. The Wrestling Federation of India and Ms Phogat appealed, but CAS upheld the decision. Following the setback, Ms Phogat retired from wrestling and entered politics.

Bhavish Aggarwal – Kunal Kamra Feud

Comedian Kunal Kamra and Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal were involved in a heated exchange over issues concerning Ola Electric’s EV scooters. Mr Kamra criticised the company, asking users to share their complaints about the scooters. Mr Aggarwal accused Mr Kamra of being paid for his criticism, sarcastically offering him a job. Mr Kamra responded by defending his comedy career and questioning Ola’s customer service. The dispute continued with Aggarwal mocking Kamra’s career, while Kamra called for a refund for dissatisfied customers. 

Nitish Kumar Flip-Flop Memes

After the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar and leader of Janata Dal United (JDU), became the subject of much attention. Mr Kumar is not new to switching alliances and has earned the nickname “Paltu Kumar” (flip-flop Kumar). When the opposition INDIA alliance unexpectedly won 231 seats, just short of the majority needed to form the government, memes poking fun at Mr Kumar’s political shifts went viral on social media. People wondered if the Bihar CM would once again switch sides. Mr Kumar, though, decided to remain a part of the NDA.

Deepinder Goyal Job Listing For Chief-of-Staff

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced a vacancy for a Chief of Staff position, saying the selected candidate would pay a Rs 20 lakh “fee” and work for free in the first year. Later, he clarified that the fee was intended as a “filter” and not to be collected.

When BookMyShow Crashed During Coldplay Ticket Sales

British Rock band Coldplay announced their highly anticipated return to India with concerts initially scheduled for January 18 and 19, 2025, at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in Mumbai. As soon as ticket sales opened on BookMyShow, the website, overwhelmed by heavy traffic, crashed. Within just 20 minutes, over 11 lakh people were still waiting in the queue, while tickets for the second day had already sold out. 

Bill Gates Meets Dolly Chaiwala

In February, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates enjoyed a cup of tea from Dolly Chaiwala, a well-known tea vendor in Nagpur. Mr Dolly, who initially didn’t recognise the billionaire, only realised who he was when the video went viral online.

Proposal At Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Concert

A man proposed to his long-term girlfriend on stage at singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in Pune. The viral video shows the man kneeling down to ask for her hand in marriage, followed by a kiss on her hand and a hug. The audience erupted in cheers as Dosanjh sang for the couple.

Dua Lipa – Levitating x Woh Ladki Jo

Grammy winner Dua Lipa captivated the audience in Mumbai with a unique mashup of her hit song Levitating and Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic track Woh Ladki Jo from Baadshah (1999). The performance quickly went viral, with videos circulating on social media.

Ed Sheeren Singing In Punjabi

Ed Sheeran made his debut singing in Punjabi, alongside Diljit Dosanjh, at a concert in Mumbai on March 16. The two performed Mr Dosanjh’s hit “Lover,” with the Punjabi artist sharing a clip of the performance on Instagram.