A video of cricketer Virat Kohli participating in a Ganesh Chaturthi event last year has surfaced with a misleading claim that it shows visuals of him being present at the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.
Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar and Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar also used a screengrab from the now viral video in its different editions, published on January 23, 2024, further amplifying the false claim.
BOOM however found that the video is from 2023. We also reached out to an official photographer covering the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya who confirmed that Kohli did not attend the event.
According to reports, Kohli and his wife actor Anushka Sharma were extended an invitation for the consecration ceremony. The reported absence of the couple during the temple inauguration raised speculation; especially after an announcement from the BCCI which said that Kohli has withdrawn from the first two test matches against England, citing personal reasons.
One of the users on X (formerly Twitter) posted the video with the caption, "Guys, this is the video, Virat Kohli attended Ram Mandir Pran Prathishtha ceremony yesterday. It's exclusive video".
Click here to view the post.
The Himachal Pradesh edition of Dainik Bhaskar published a screengrab from the video with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Cricketer Virat Kohli was also spotted".
(Original Text in Hindi: क्रिकेटर विराट कोहली भी नजर आए)
Click here to view the post.
Fact Check
BOOM broke the video into keyframes and ran a reverse image search; we found several posts from September, 2023 carrying visuals of Kohli where the cricketer can be seen in the same black outfit.
On September 20, 2023, the video was shared by an entertainment news outlet Bollywood Society, along with the caption, "Virat Kohli to seek blessings at Rahul Kanal's residence."
Click here to view the post.
Politician Rrahul Narain Kanal posted photographs of Kohli's visit to his residence on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Click here to view the post.
Additionally, we reached out to an official photographer who covered the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The photographer also confirmed that Kohli was not present during the ceremony.
Separately, BOOM debunked an AI-generated image that falsely linked the cricketer to the event.
