Did Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli express desire to go to Pakistan?

Fact Check of a viral post about the Champions Trophy

Fact Check: A claim is being made on social media that India captain Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli have expressed their desire to go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025.

Indian cricket team stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the subjects of numerous viral social media posts claiming that both players have expressed a desire to go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. However, a fact-check of these claims has revealed Rohit Sharma and batter Virat Kohli have not expressed any official statement. This social media posts are completely false.

What is going viral?

A post purportedly from Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and legendary batsman Virat Kohli is going viral on social media. According to this post, Virat and Rohit have expressed support for going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. A Facebook user wrote, “Virat Kohli said I have no problem in going to Pakistan and playing the Champions Trophy, he is also like our brother….” Meanwhile, Facebook user wrote, “Rohit Sharma said, ‘I have no problem in playing the Champions Trophy with Pakistan. He is like our brother.'”

Claim is Example Of Misinformation

This claim regarding Virat Kholi and Rohit Sharma was gaining traction on social media, so we decided to investigate. First, we used Google Open Search to look for news related to Virat and Rohit’s statements about going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. However, we found no such news where either player made such statements. Next, we checked the X (formerly Twitter) handles of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but found no such statements there either. Further investigation led us to a tweet from ANI quoting BCCI sources, which stated that the Indian team will not go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and that the ICC has been asked to consider holding the matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka. It was clear that Virat and Rohit had not made any statements as claimed in the viral social media posts.

Indian Cricket team is unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. BCCI will ask ICC to host matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka: BCCI sources to ANI pic.twitter.com/o7INJKhk1E
— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2024

What came out in Fact Check?

This fact check by Factcheck India has revealed that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not made any statements supporting the idea of going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. The viral claim on social media is completely false and example of misinfomration.

For All Social Media Buffs

Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is unintentionally spread. It can occur due to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or errors. Misinformation is often shared innocently, without malicious intent.

Examples of misinformation include:

Rumors: Spreading unverified stories or claims.
Mistaken Identity: Incorrectly attributing an event or statement to the wrong person.
Outdated Information: Sharing facts that were once true but have since changed.

Misinformation and disinformation pose a significant threat to societies worldwide, with particularly severe implications for countries like India. Spread of false information is critical risk perceived by experts across the globe. Addressing this challenge requires a multifaceted approach, including media literacy education, robust fact-checking mechanisms, and increased digital literacy among the population. Read more in our latest article about 4 quick things about misinformation.