Fact Check: Did India-Pak Cricketers Mourn Death of Kohli’s Father During Champions Trophy Match?

Last Updated:March 11, 2025, 12:34 IST

A viral video falsely claimed Indian and Pakistani cricket teams mourned Virat Kohli’s father’s death. PTI Fact Check revealed it was from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement

The video showing the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams mourning the death of Virat Kohli’s father by observing a minute of silence during a live match was false. (PTI News)

A video recently circulated on social media, with users claiming it showed Indian and Pakistani cricket team players mourning the death of Virat Kohli’s father, Prem Nath Kohli, as soon as the news broke to them during the recent Champions Trophy match. The video began with India opener Rohit Sharma having a brief conversation with Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, followed by a scene where Indian players kneeled on the ground. In contrast, Pakistani players stand with their hands on their chests.

However, the PTI Fact Check Desk investigated and found this claim to be false. The video was actually from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where both teams (India vs. Pakistan) showed support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement before the match commenced. In the footage, the Indian team kneeled to express solidarity, while the Pakistani team placed their hands on their chests as part of the gesture. An old and unrelated video was misleadingly shared on social media with a false claim.

Claim

A Facebook user going by the name ‘Amrish M A Raj’ shared a video on March 4, claiming it showed Indian and Pakistani cricket team players observing a minute of silence during a live match after hearing about the passing of Virat Kohli’s father, ‘Prem Nath Kohli.’ The video showed Indian team players kneeling on the ground, while the Pakistani team players stood with their hands on their chests. Since being posted, the video has received 15 million views.

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 search and extracted multiple keyframes. Upon running one of the keyframes through Google Lens, the Desk found various users shared the same video with similar claims. Two such posts can be found here and here, and their archived versions can be viewed here and here, respectively.

The search results also led the Desk to a report published by India Times on October 25, 2021. The report includes images of Indian and Pakistani cricketers (as also seen in the keyframes the Desk used for investigation) extending support to the Black Lives Matter movement during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. It showed Indian cricketers kneeling on the ground. At the same time, Pakistani players kept their hands near their chests to support the movement against racism, which was started in the United States after the death of 46-year-old African American George Floyd in the year 2020.

Here is the link to the report, along with a screenshot.

Below is a combination image highlighting that the content seen in the viral video matched that of the images used in the India Times report.

In the next part of the investigation, the Desk conducted a customized keyword search on Google and came across a report by the Times of India. The report, published on September 19, 2024, elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the death of Virat Kohli’s father, Prem Nath Kohli, in 2006. The report revealed that Virat Kohli’s father died in December 2006, when Virat was just 18 years old.

“In a 2006 Ranji Trophy match, batting maestro Virat Kohli demonstrated remarkable commitment by playing for Delhi against Karnataka despite losing his father. At 18 years old, he returned to the field the next day and scored an essential 90 runs, helping his team recover from a tough spot,” the report added.

Here is the link to the report, along with a screenshot.

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the video showing the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams mourning the death of Virat Kohli’s father by observing a minute of silence during a live match was false.

This story was originally published by PTI News as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline/excerpt/opening introduction para, this story has not been edited by News18 staff.