Fact Check: India-Pak Asia Cup match – Jay Shah, Anurag Thakur, Afridi watch together? No, video is old
A viral video allegedly shows ICC chairman Jay Shah, BJP MP Anurag Thakur and Pakistan former captain Shahid Afridi watching the India-Pak match together amid widespread calls to boycott.
By - K Sherly Sharon
Claim:Jay Shah, Anurag Thakur and Shahid Afridi watch the 2025 Asia Cup India-Pakistan match together while spectators raise slogans.
Fact:The claim is false. The video is old, and there was no sloganeering in the original audio.
Hyderabad: In light of the border tensions that escalated between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, both cricket teams played the Asia Cup on September 14 amid widespread calls to boycott the match. India won by seven wickets.
In this context, a video showing Union Minister Amit Shah’s son and International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Thakur, and Pakistan former captain Shahid Afridi is going viral on social media.
This video is circulating with the claim that it shows interaction between the three during the recent Asia Cup match. Hindi slogans saying ‘Shoot the traitors of the country, those scoundrels’ can be heard in the audio.
The video was shared on Facebook with the caption, “Spectators Chanting Desh Kay Gaddaro Ko Go-li Maro Salo Ko. BJP Leader Anuraj Thakur-Jay Shah-Shahdi Afridi Watching Match Together. (sic)” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter concluded that the viral claim is false. The video is from the India-Pakistan 2025 Champions Trophy match on February 23.
Using a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found that the viral video was shared on Facebook by the PinkVilla page on March 11. The caption reads, “A rare moment! Jay Shah and Shahid Afridi share a light-hearted cricket moment together, and fans can’t stop talking about it.”
In the video posted by PinkVilla, the noise of people cheering and talking loudly can be heard. However, there is no sloganeering by the crowd.
The same viral video was shared on X with the caption, “Jay Shah and anurag thakur watching india vs pak with shahid afridi. (sic)” The video was posted on February 25.
The video posted on X also does not contain any sloganeering.
Analysis of the visuals
In the first few seconds of the viral video, we found that the boards in the background read ‘Champions Trophy 2025.’
In the viral video, Shahid Afridi can be seen wearing a beige and white outfit. On February 23, Instagram user ‘team_afridi’ posted a screenshot from a live stream of the 2025 Champions Cup match with Pakistan. In this image, Shahid Afridi is seen wearing the same outfit.
Screenshot of the Instagram post by 'team_afridi'
Screenshot highlighting Shahid Afridi's outfit from the viral video.
A report published by ABP News on February 26 stated that the BJP MP Anurag Thakur attended the 2025 Champions Cup India-Pakistan match at the Dubai stadium. The report stated that the BJP MP sat beside Shahid Afridi and shared images of them both wearing outfits similar to that in the viral video.
In the image published by ABP News, Anurag Thakur can be seen wearing a white-dark blue outfit. In the viral video too, he can be seen wearing the same outfit.
Screenshot from ABP News report
Screenshot highlighting BJP MP Anurag Thakur's outfit from the viral video.
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy was held from February 19 to March 9. The match between India and Pakistan took place on February 23 in Dubai.
The 2025 Asia Cup started on September 9, and the last match is scheduled to be held on September 28. The match between India and Pakistan was conducted on September 14 at the same venue as the last match. If both teams qualify for the Super Four, they could clash again soon.
The Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22 in the Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, where many civilians were killed. In response on May 7, the Government of India executed Operation Sindoor.
