Babar Azam ‘God of Cricket’ Indian fan holds placard in Ranchi? No, the image is edited

The image is from a 2018 Indian Premier League game and the text on the placard is edited. The original poster carried a text supporting MS Dhoni over Sachin Tendulkar.

An image purporting to show an Indian cricket fan holding a placard supporting Pakistani captain Babar Azam over Virat Kohli is going viral on social media. The picture is being shared in the context of India’s ongoing T20 series against New Zealand in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The caption of the post states “Real Babar Azam Fans in India. Fans During Ind Vs Nz Match Much Love”.

A spectator holding a yellow placard that reads, “Sorry Virat Sir but Babar Ajam is God of Cricket for me…. #7” 

Facebook Post| Archive link

The viral photo began circulating after New Zealand’s win in the first match. It is also being shared on twitter with the caption “Babar Azam fan in Ranchi India”.

Fact Check- 

We began our investigation by conducting a reverse image search on Google, which led us to a report published on 21 April, 2018 by DNA that included the original photo. The text on the placard is “Sorry Sachin sir but  MS Dhoni is God of cricket for me”.  

In further search we found the same image on ESPN’s Facebook page on 18 April, 2018 with the caption MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar?

We discovered the same image on the ESPN Cricinfo website as well. According to the site this photograph was taken on 17 April, 2018, during the Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It makes no mention of Virat Kohli or Babar Azam, and the placard originally carried a text supporting MS Dhoni over Sachin Tendulkar. The image on ESPNcricinfo’s website is credited to the BCCI.

As a result of these evidences, it is clear that false claims are being spread on social media through an edited image. You can see a comparison of both images below.

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral image to be False. The viral photo has been edited. The original image was taken on 17 April, 2018 during an IPL match where Sachin and Dhoni were compared.