CLAIM

Viral video of Indian politician Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan for taking stand during T20 World Cup 2026

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to trace the original source of the video and conducted a forensic analysis to authenticate the clip.

Multiple Pakistani users on social media platform X have been sharing a video since February 11, 2026, which allegedly shows Indian politician Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan for taking a “bold stand” during the T20 World Cup. However, the clip is doctored.

On Feb 1, the government announced that the Pakistan cricket team would not play their match with arch-rivals India — scheduled to be held in Colombo on Feb 15 — in the T20 World Cup. The decision was taken after Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in the tournament, following their refusal to tour India over safety concerns in the wake of soured political relations between the Asian neighbours.

In the days following the announcement, a delegation from the International Cricket Council arrived in the country and held meetings with Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the team’s participation in the match against India. Similarly, Sri Lanka also urged Pakistan to play India.

On Feb 19, after high-level deliberations, the government finally agreed to play the match. “The government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests extended to the PCB by the BCB [Bangladesh Cricket Board], as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations. These correspondences sought Pakistan’s leadership in securing a viable solution to recent challenges,” it said.

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 11, a propaganda account on X, known for posting AI-generated content, shared a video of Tharoor speaking to Indian reporters. The caption read, “Breaking News: Shashi Tharoor makes a startling revelation … Pakistan has done the unthinkable. Indian Cricket Board was completely pinned. Pakistan deserves to be appreciated to for taking a bold stand & proving their position.”

It amassed 167,200 views.

In the clip, Tharoor can be heard saying: “I think how Pakistan played is indeed brilliant. I don’t know what they would do on the field, but what they did diplomatically is absolute brilliance. The Indian cricket board was completely pinned. Hands down, this serves as a lesson that good diplomacy can even make a weak nation appear as a goliath. Pakistan has done it, and I want to appreciate them for it.”

The same day, Pakistani journalist Zahid Gishkori also shared the same video with the caption: “Pakistan nailed India, says Shashi Tharoor, adding, ‘Pakistan deserves to be appreciated to for taking a bold stand’ in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026,” read the caption of the post.

It garnered 361,700 views.

The video was shared by other users on X as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The clip was also shared by digital media outlets Defacto News and Pakistan Connect on Instagram.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the upcoming Pakistan-India game on Feb 15.

A keyword search was conducted to corroborate whether any credible Indian, Pakistani or international media outlets had reported such remarks, but yielded no results.

Analysing the clip with the AI-detection tool Detect Videos AI, it was flagged as having “uncertain or mixed signals” and received a 58 per cent confidence score.

Similarly, Truth Scan, another tool, rated the clip as being 19pc real.

A reverse image search yielded the original video of Tharoor’s comments to Indian news outlet ANI on Pakistan’s decision to play against India in the T20 World Cup, dated Feb 10, on X.

In the clip, the Indian politician can be heard saying: “I am a politician, but I don’t like politics in cricket and sports. I think sports are a different field, a different game. Let politicians do their politics somewhere else, diplomats do their work in diplomacy, and cricket players play their game. I’m happy that at least cricket will move with this match. Who will win, and who will lose, that’s another thing.”

Furthermore, in a post on X, Tharoor also flagged the viral video as “AI-generated fake news”.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows Indian politician Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan for taking a stand in the T20 World Cup 2026 is false.

The video is doctored and has been dubbed over through AI.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

Feb 10, 2026, ANI X post:
https://x.com/ANI/status/2021158268387606831

Feb 12, 2026, Shashi Tharoor X post:
https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/2021931884322898229