A post accompanying an image of Swami Vivekananda bowling in a cricket match is being shared with a claim that the image was clicked when he was bowling for the Calcutta Town Club in 1884 at Eden Gardens. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of Swami Vivekananda bowling in a cricket match.
Fact: It is true that Swami Vivekananda claimed seven wickets in a match representing the Town Club at Eden Gardens back in 1880s. However, the viral image is not his. The original image features Hedley Verity, an English cricketer. This image of Hedley Verity is digitally morphed so as to look like Swami Vivekananda bowling. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is a digitally morphed image. The original picture features Hedley Verity, an English cricketer. Reverse image search of the viral photo led us to the original image on Getty Images. As per the description accompanying the image, the cricketer featured in the image is Yorkshire cricketer Hedley Verity and the image is captured on 01 January 1940.
Upon comparison of this image with that of the viral image, it is apparent that this image of Hedley Verity is digitally morphed so as to look as if Swami Vivekananda is bowling.
However, it is true that Swami Vivekananda tried his hand at Cricket. He represented the Town Club of Kolkata. Multiple news articles and cricket blogs mentioned this aspect of him. In fact, in a match at Eden Gardens representing Town Club, Swami Vivekananda ended up taking seven wickets. ‘Not only cricket, but he also possessed skills in football, fencing, and boxing’ wrote Newsmobile. Other articles which reported about Swami’s Cricketing skills can be read here, here, and here.
It is also true that Swami claimed seven wickets at Eden Gardens playing for Town Club. However, the person in the viral image is not him.
To sum it up, the old image of an English cricketer is morphed so as to look like Swami Vivekananda bowling in a cricket match.
