Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Claim
Fans shout slogans in support of Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma in front of Hardik Pandya, who was recently named Mumbai Indians captain, replacing Sharma.
Fact
No such incident. Video found to be edited.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming it shows Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya being heckled by fans of Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma at the airport. “People are shouting ‘Mumbai Cha Raja Rohit Sharma’ in front of Hardik Pandya. Rohit Sharma is an emotion of India. SHAMELESS MUMBAI INDIANS,” read one such post.
Gujarat Titans IPL-winning skipper Pandya had in November 2023 returned to his old franchise, Mumbai Indians, and in December, replaced Sharma as MI captain, sparking criticism and anger from fans, particularly on social media, over the decision to replace Sharma, who had led the franchise for 10 years
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Hardik Pandya Rohit Sharma fans heckled”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports, raising our doubts.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Youtube video, dated April 30, 2020, headlined “Hardik Pandya going to airport station”. A similar video and news report can be seen here and here, confirming that it was taken well before the recent appointment of Pandya as MI captain.
We then came across this video, apparently taken during a match involving Sharma, where you can hear a section of the crowd chanting “Mumbai Cha Raja Rohit Sharma”, as heard in the viral video. The video was uploaded on January 18, 2020, well before the transfer of captaincy. Similar videos can be seen here and here, using the same chant, confirming that the audio track was added onto the viral video.
Conclusion
Edited video showing Hardik Pandya being heckled by Rohit Sharma fans at airport goes viral.
Result: Altered Media
Sources
Youtube video, April 30, 2020
Youtube video, January 18, 2020
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates
Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
