Fact Check: Did India Fans Chant ‘Ganesh Aarti’ After ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Win Against Pakistan?
An Instagram user shared a video on February 24, claiming that Indian cricket lovers started chanting Ganesh Aarti after India registered a thumping victory against arch-rival Pakistan.
A video recently circulated on social media, with some users claiming it showed Indian cricket fans chanting the Ganesh Aarti at a stadium after India’s emphatic victory against arch-rival Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The video featured a massive crowd enthusiastically chanting the Ganesh Aarti amid grand celebrations at the stadium. However, the PTI Fact Check Desk investigation found the claim false. The Desk determined that the viral video was a compilation of unrelated footage from two previous events, falsely shared as a recent celebration following India’s win against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Claim
An Instagram user shared a video on February 24, claiming that Indian cricket lovers started chanting Ganesh Aarti at a stadium after India registered a thumping victory against arch-rival Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Here is the link and archive link to the post, along with a screenshot:
Investigation
The Desk ran the viral video through the InVid tool and extracted multiple keyframes. Upon running one of the keyframes through Google Lens, the Desk found several other users shared the same video with similar claims.
Two such posts can be found here and here, with their archived versions available here and here, respectively:
The search results also led the Desk to a video published on an Instagram handle named Sanchit Desai on January 19, 2025.
The Desk found that the first sixteen seconds and the last six seconds of the visuals seen in the viral post matched the video posted on the Instagram handle, which was shared along with a caption stating it had been shot at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the stadium held last month on January 19.
Here is the link to the video, along with a screenshot:
Below is a combination image highlighting the content (the first sixteen seconds and the last six seconds of the video) seen in the viral video matched to that of the Instagram handle shared on January 19, 2025.
In the next part of the investigation, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search on Google and found multiple reports confirming that on January 19 this year, a grand ceremony was hosted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Here is the link to the report by Hindustan Times published on January 20, which elaborated on the events held on the grand occasion:
Additionally, to find details about another video segment (seen between the timestamps of 17 seconds to 26 seconds) clubbed in the viral post along with the celebrations from Wankhede Stadium, the Desk scanned through that particular part and observed multiple banners of specific brands displayed, along with a scoreboard showing England's score at 175/8 after 30.5 overs. Also, the two batters present at the crease at that time were Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson.
Below is a screenshot of the same:
Taking cues from this, the Desk ran the keyframe through Google Lens and came across a report by Indian Express published on February 13, 2025. The report’s cover image matched the viral post’s background setting. It confirmed that it was from the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where India beat England by 142 runs in the third match of the three-match T20I series to complete a 3-0 clean sweep.
Here is the link to the report:
Below is a combination image highlighting the background setting in the viral video that matches the cover image from the report:
Moreover, regarding the scoreboard displaying England’s score at 175/8, the Desk conducted another customised keyword search on Google and found a highlight video of India vs England 3rd ODI match posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on February 12, 2025.
The Desk found that the scoreboard displayed in the viral video matched the team score shown in the BCCI highlight video. At 30.3 overs, England stood at 175/8, with Wood and Atkinson batting.
Here is the link to the video, along with a screenshot:
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the viral video was falsely linked to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan and was, in fact, a compilation of unrelated footage from previous events.
CLAIM
Indian cricket fans chanted the Ganesh aarti after India's victory against Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match.
FACT
The video is unrelated to the India-Pakistan match. It is a combination of clips from two separate events:
CONCLUSION
Multiple social media users recently shared a video claiming it showed Indian cricket lovers chanting Ganesh Aarti at a stadium after India registered a thumping victory against arch-rival Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. However, the Desk, in its investigation, found the viral video falsely linked celebrations from two unrelated cricket events to India’s win against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
This story was originally published by PTI, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline and excerpt, this story has not been edited by ABP LIVE staff.
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