Hours after the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match finished at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 14, 2025, a video started circulating on social media showing ICC President Jay Shah, BJP MP Anurag Thakur and former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi sitting together in the stands.
The T20 match, the first between the two countries since the Pahalgam attack in April, has been at the centre of a controversy with many people demanding that India call off all sporting ties with Pakistan. Notably, the Indian team did not come out of the dressing room after the completion of the match for the customary handshakes with the opponent. At the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian caption Suryakumar Yadav said, "... We stand with the victims of the families of the Pahalgam terror attack and we express our solidarity and we want to dedicate today's win to the armed forces... I hope they continue to inspire us all and we give them more reasons on the ground whenever we get an opportunity to make them smile." He later told the media that it was the team's collective call to forego the handshakes.
Against the backdrop of the entire controversy, many social media users have criticized Jay Shah and BJP leader Anurag Thakur sharing the video of him sitting with Shahid Afridi.
A user named Yanika shared the video and sarcastically wrote, "Anurag Thakur, Jay Shah and Shahid Afridi are watching the India-Pakistan match at the stadium, and true patriots are saying shoot the traitors of the country ." (Archive)
An X user named Nibaraj Ramzan also shared the video and wrote that Anurag Thakur, Jay Shah, and Shahid Afridi were in the stadium watching the India-Pakistan match while on Twitter (now X), people were calling for a boycott of the game. (Archive)
Trinamool Congress leader and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor Arup Chakraborty shared the video on September 15, a a day after the match, saying, "Look who the real traitors are." (Archive)
Fact Check
A reverse image search with a few key frames from the viral video led us to a video posted by a user named Lord Immy Kant on February 25, 2025. This clearly shows that this video is not from the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on September 14.
A closer look at the viral video reveals banners behind it that read "Champions Trophy 2025." It's worth noting that on February 23, 2025, India and Pakistan played against each other in the ICC Champions Trophy. India defeated Pakistan by six wickets .
During the India-Pakistan match, a video of BJP MP Anurag Thakur with former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi was broadcast live on TV. Many users reacted on social media by posting photos of the moment.
We also found a report on Asianet News published on February 24, 2025. It states that BJP MP Anurag Thakur was criticized by several social media users after he was seen with former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi.
To sum up, several social media users shared a video of ICC President Jay Shah and BJP MP Anurag Thakur with former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi during the ICC Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan on February 23, 2025, with a misleading claim. This video has nothing to do with the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, which took place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 14, 2025.
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