Pichai is Senior Vice President for Android, Chrome and Apps at technology major Google. He has a Bachelor's degree in Technology from IIT-Kharagpur, holds an Master's degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

SiliconANGLE reported he had been a "force driving Android integration" across Google and was rumoured to be in the running for leading jobs at Twitter. Google paid Pichai $ 50 million to stay with the firm, the report said.

Microsoft is expected to announce its new CEO, only the third in the company's 38-year history after co-founder Bill Gates and current chief Steve Ballmer, this week. The emergence of Pichai's name, pitted against another Indian for the top job at the world's leading technology company, appears unprecedented and reflects the growing number of India-born executives climbing corporate ladders globally.

The appointment of 46-year-old Nadella or Pichai would be a significant achievement for both, as they would join a circle of India-origin executives leading top global firms.

Indians at the helm include PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, MasterCard President and EO Ajay Banga and Deutsche Bank Co-CEO Anshu Jain.

READ MORE:

Is Facebook Making People More Polarized?

9 Things To Know Before You Start Collecting BitCoins