Edited Image Passed off as Virat Kohli Watching Rahul Gandhi’s Press Conference

We found that the image was altered to add Rahul Gandhi's image to Kohli's image and was shared to mislead viewers.

Fact-Check | The image is edited and is being shared with a false claim.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image of former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is being shared to claim that it shows him watching a press conference conducted by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

What have users said?: Those sharing the image have said, "EXCLUSIVE: VIRAT KOHLI watching RAHUL GANDHI'S press conference on the frozen of all Congress bank accounts. Same video I have posted here (sic)."

An archive of the post can be found here.

The post had recorded over 3 lakh views on the platform when this report was being written. More archives of similar claims can be viewed here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: The image has been edited to add Gandhi's image into the phone carried by Kohli. The original one did not clearly show what the cricketer was watching in his phone.

What led us to the truth?: A reverse image search directed us to a similar image shared on 21 March on an X handle named 'wrognxvirat'.

• It showed Kohli using his phone, but it was not clear what he was watching.

• The image was uploaded with a caption that said, "Virat Kohli during the Jio advertising shooting today."

• The same image was also shared on a verified Facebook handle 'ViratGang' on 21 March.

• It was published with a similar caption saying, "Virat Kohli chilling before the shoot for Jio advertisement commence."

Comparing the visuals: We compared the viral image to the one uploaded on Facebook and found several similarities. This made it clear that Gandhi's image was added on Kohli's phone with the help of editing.

A comparison of both visuals clearly highlights the similarities.

Conclusion: It is evident that an edited image is going viral to claim that it shows Kohli watching a press conference conducted by Gandhi.

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