The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy is set to take place from 19 February 2025 to 09 March 2025, in Pakistan and the UAE. Due to security concerns, the BCCI refused to play in Pakistan, leading to a hybrid model where India will play all its matches in Dubai (here and here). Amid this, a video (here, here, here and here) has gone viral on social media showing Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma receiving a warm welcome while stepping out of a flight, with the claim that he was warmly welcomed in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Let’s investigate the truth behind this video.
Claim: Video of Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma receiving a grand welcome in Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.
Fact: The viral video is not related to Pakistan or the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. It actually shows Rohit Sharma’s visit to Rashin, Maharashtra, on 03 October 2024, for the foundation stone ceremony of a sports complex. While the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan and UAE, India’s matches are scheduled to be played in Dubai, and the captains’ photoshoot in Pakistan was reportedly cancelled. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the claim, we performed a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video. This led us to the same video uploaded on 03 October 2024, on an X handle. The caption of the original post read, “The grand welcome of boss Rohit Sharma at Rashin, Maharashtra.” Additionally, the same video was found on other platforms (here, here and here), also mentioning that the event took place in Maharashtra. This confirms that the video is unrelated to Pakistan.
An additional search led us to several YouTube videos (here and here) confirming that Rohit Sharma was in Rashin, Maharashtra. One such video, live-streamed by the Office of Rohit Pawar, an MLA from the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency, shows the full sequence of events, including the flight landing and Rohit Sharma exiting the aircraft. The viral visuals appear at the 5:07 mark. Additionally, the video features an invitation poster at both the beginning and the end, announcing Rohit Sharma’s visit for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex in Karjat-Jamkhed, Maharashtra.
Further research led us to several news reports about the event (here, here and here). According to these reports, on the occasion of Navratri, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar organised the foundation stone ceremony of Rashin Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Cricket Academy and Sports Complex in Karjat-Jamkhed taluka, Ahmednagar district. The event, held on 03 October 2024, featured Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma as the chief guest, drawing a massive gathering of youth.
On the other hand, the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in Pakistan and the UAE from 19 February to 09 March 2025, under a hybrid model, as the BCCI refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns, leading the ICC to schedule all Indian matches in Dubai (here and here). Amid this, reports (here and here) surfaced about a planned photo shoot of team captains, sparking speculation that Indian captain Rohit Sharma might travel to Pakistan for the ceremony. However, the plan was later cancelled due to scheduling conflicts with other teams’ arrivals. Thus, the viral video has no connection to the ICC Champions Trophy or Pakistan.
To sum up, a video of Rohit Sharma being welcomed at an airport in India is falsely attributed to Pakistan and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
