The Video Shows The Players Mourning Virat Kohli’s Father’s Death? Here’s The Truth.

Recently a video of a cricket match between India and Pakistan went viral on social media where the players can be seen kneeling on the ground. Sharing the video on social media, users are claiming that the video shows a match between India and Pakistan where the players of both teams observed a minute of silence after hearing the news of Virat Kohli’s father’s death. 

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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The video is from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 where the players showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a report published in The Times of India on 24 October 2021 that contained an image similar to the screenshots from the viral video. According to the report, “Ahead of the start of the high-octane clash against Pakistan in the Super 12s stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Virat Kohli-led side took a knee to showcase solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The Indian players took the knee in solidarity with the BLM movement. On the other hand, Pakistan stood with their hands on their hearts. The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement had gained momentum after the death of an African-American man named George Floyd in May last year after police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck as suggested by viral videos. Ever since Floyd’s demise, many sportspersons have come out to talk about their experience with racism…”

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Another report published in The Indian Express read, “India captain Virat Kohli said the team’s gesture of taking the knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement before the T20 World Cup game against Pakistan was guided by a communication from the “management” after the rival side agreed to pay a tribute of its own.

Kohli’s men took the knee in support of the movement that began with the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

“That was communicated to us by the management. The Pakistan team agreed to pay their tribute towards the same cause, and then we accepted our side of things, as well. Yeah, that’s how it was decided,” Kohli said explaining the gesture after the match on Sunday night which India lost by 10 wickets.”

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Other reports can be read here and here.

It is worth mentioning that Virat Kohli’s father Prem Nath Kohli passed away in 2006. Virat Kohli was playing his first season of the Ranji Trophy for Delhi during that time. 

A video of Virat Kohli speaking about his father’s demise can be seen below.

This makes it clear that the viral video is old and not related to Virat Kohli’s father’s death.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The video is not related to Virat Kohli’s father’s death. In the video, the players of the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement.