Viral video of female Indian cricketer performing an acrobatic catch during a match

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan critically analysed the video for visual discrepancies, conducted a keyword search and performed video forensic analysis.

Multiple users, including Indian accounts, have been sharing a video across social media platforms since September 4, 2026, allegedly showing a female Indian cricketer performing an acrobatic catch during a match. However, the footage is AI-generated.

HOW IT STARTED

On September 4, a YouTube channel shared a video showing a female Indian cricketer performing a gravity-defying acrobatic catch, while the commentary in the video describes it as “unbelievable scenes”. The caption said: “Oh my God! The fielder’s insane backflip catch left everyone speechless”.

The post accumulated 3.2 million views.

On Sept 6, a digital content creator on Facebook shared the same footage without a caption.

The post accumulated 8m views.

The same user reshared the clip on Sept 8 as well and received 757,000 views.

On Sept 7, a YouTube channel shared the video with the caption: “Unbelievable backflip catch in cricket history!”

The post accumulated 142,432 views.

On Sept 9, an X user shared the same video with a caption in Hindi that translates as: “In cricket, there are some moments that become history. I’ve never seen such a catch taken until today.”

The post accumulated 636,000 views.

On the same day, another X user shared the footage with a caption that translates to: “Never before in the history of cricket has such a catch been taken, nor will it easily be taken in the future.”

The post accumulated 498,000 views.

Another X user shared the same footage with the caption, “Unbelievable”.

The post accumulated 417,000 views.

On Sept 10, well-known senior Indian journalist Prabhu Chawla, editorial director of The New Indian Express, an English-language daily newspaper in southern India, shared the clip with the caption: “Have you ever seen a catch like this in any cricket match by any player, including famous fielders? What perfect coordination between mind and body.”

The post accumulated 455,000 views.

Several other users also shared the clip across X, YouTube and Instagram, claiming it showed a real moment from a cricket match, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively accumulated 273,829 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible Indian or international media outlets or official sports channels had recently reported that an Indian women’s cricket team player performed a backflip while taking a catch during a match against New Zealand. However, no recent reports or visuals from official sports outlets were found.

A visual examination revealed several discrepancies. The score bug in the video displays the name “India” twice side by side, while the name “New Zealand” appears as gibberish, with “NEW Zz4” displayed instead.

Additionally, instead of the players’ names, the score bug displays “New” and “India”.

At the 7-second mark, the movements of the player attempting the catch also appear unnatural, as she remains suspended in the air for an unusually long duration while performing the backflip and catching the ball.

The video was subsequently analysed using multiple AI detection tools. Hive Detect flagged the viral video as 91.6 per cent AI-generated.

Another AI detection tool, IsFake.AI, flagged it as 65pc AI-generated.

Similarly, Deepfake Total flagged the audio in the viral video as 44pc AI-generated.

Furthermore, the same video was found posted on YouTube with an ‘AI-generated content label,’ providing an additional indication that the video had been generated using AI.

Moreover, a search of recent fixtures found that there had been no recent cricket match between the Indian and New Zealand women’s teams. Their most recent encounter was on October 23, 2025.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows an Indian women’s cricket team player performing an acrobatic catch during a match is false.

The viral video is AI-generated.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

September 4, 2026, YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SzSrA1LWu4c