Viral image of Ajay Devgan chatting with Shahid Afridi amid recent tensions

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search to find the original source.

Posts from multiple Indian users on social media platform X since July 20, 2025, were sharing an image, claiming that it showed Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan chatting with Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi on the field amid recent tensions between India and Pakistan. However, the viral image is old from the 2024 World Championship of Legends (WCL) cricket league.

The WCL is an international cricket league where retired, non-contracted international players return to competitive T20 cricket, according to the league’s website. The tournament commenced on July 18 and is being held in Birmingham, England.

India pulled out of a scheduled match between Indian and Pakistani veteran players, citing recent “geopolitical tensions” between the two nations.

The decision followed the military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam attack in India-occupied Kashmir.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 20, an X user based in India posted a series of photos showing a light-hearted interaction between Devgan and Afridi on a field.

The caption of the post said: “You can’t trust on any Bollywood celebrities, now Ajay Devgan is talking with Pakistani terrorist Shahid Afridi.”

The post provided no other details or information about the context of the images such as when and where they were from.

It was viewed by over 200,000 users.

The images with the same claim were shared extensively across Indian social media circles, including here, here and here, racking up 60,000, 74,000, and 40,000 views, respectively.

Other shares of the same claim can be found here, here, here, here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in India-Pakistan relations after the recent conflict.

A keyword search for “Ajay Devgan” and “Shahid Afridi” yielded a news story from Geo.tv dated July 7, 2024, titled, “Video of Ajay Devgn’s interaction with Shahid Afridi goes viral”.

The news report story featured a clip showing the two celebrities in conversation. Observing the clip showed that the viral images circulating online were screengrabs taken from the same video.

According to the report, Devgan, who co-owns the WCL league, could be seen engaging in small talk with Afridi during the India-Pakistan clash on July 6, 2024, at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham, UK.

Another angle of the video posted on X on July 6, 2024, showed the Bollywood actor meeting other Pakistani players as well.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that viral images show Ajay Devgan and Shahid Afridi chatting and having a cordial interaction during WCL 2025 is misleading.

The interaction is from 2024 during the India-Pakistan match on July 6.

Evidence and References

July 7, 2024, Geo.tv
https://www.geo.tv/latest/553046-video-of-ajay-devgans-interaction-with-shahid-afridi-goes-viral