In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their Group A match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 23 February 2025. Amidst this, a viral video on social media (here, here, and here) claims that Lord Ganesh Aarti was played in the stadium after India’s victory, with fans participating in the aarti. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: The video shows Lord Ganesh Aarti playing in the Dubai stadium after India’s victory over Pakistan on 23 February 2025.
Fact: The viral video is a combination of two different clips from separate events. The first part was recorded at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during its 50th-anniversary celebration on 19 January 2025. The second part was recorded at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the India vs. England third ODI on 12 February 2025. There is no evidence that Lord Ganesh Aarti was played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium after India’s victory over Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the claim that Lord Ganesh Aarti was played in the stadium after India’s victory over Pakistan on 23 February 2025, we conducted a Google search but found no relevant social media posts or news reports. Given the significance of such an event, it would have likely received media coverage, yet no credible reports were found.
Upon closely reviewing the viral video, we noticed it features two different stadiums, suggesting it is a combination of two separate video clips.
Video 1
To verify the first part of the viral video, we performed a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video which led us to an Instagram post (archived) dated 19 January 2025 featuring the first part of the viral video. The caption stated that it was recorded at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
We identified the same individuals in both the viral video and the Instagram post. The comparison is shown below.
We also found multiple social media posts featuring similar videos from the Wankhede Stadium celebrations (here and here), confirming that the video is from the stadium’s 50th-anniversary event. We also cross-verified the location in the viral video by matching its rooftop.
We found multiple reports (here and here) confirming that Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium celebrated its 50th anniversary on 19 January 2025 with a star-studded event, highlighting its legacy in Indian cricket.
Video 2
To verify the second part of the viral video, we performed a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to an Instagram post (archived) from 13 February 2025 featuring the same visuals. The caption read, “Maa Tujhe Salaam in Ahmedabad. Always a beautiful experience whenever this is played in any stadium in the country.” The extended video shows the song ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ playing while a match is in progress.
The video shows a large stadium screen displaying the match score as “England 175/8 in 30.3 overs.” A Google keyword search confirmed that India and England played their third ODI at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 12 February 2025.
To further verify, we conducted a keyword search and found the live commentary of the India vs England third ODI in Ahmedabad at the 30.3-over mark. The score at that point was indeed 175/8, matching the viral video. Notably, England’s Adil Rashid was dismissed at this stage, and India later secured a 142-run victory.
To sum up, the viral video is a combination of clips from Mumbai and Ahmedabad stadiums and is unrelated to India’s victory over Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
