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| - Fact Check: Virat Kohli's mother not sick, Pak accounts spread hoax
India Today found that the viral claim was false. Virat Kohli's brother refuted it on Instagram.
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India Today Fact Check
Virat Kohli’s mother is not unwell. His brother Vikas Kohli debunked the rumours.
The Indian cricket team on January 28 faced a 28-run defeat against England at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad. Following the match, several former players and cricket enthusiasts claimed that the outcome might have been different had Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two tests matches in ongoing series citing personal reasons, led India instead of Rohit Sharma.
Despite the absence of a clear reason for Kohli's break, a viral social media post attributed it to his mother's illness. A Facebook user wrote, "Heard Virat's mother is suffering from liver issues and is serious. My strong prayers for his mother's good health. Parents getting ill is the worst pain you will ever feel. Really tough times for Kohli. Prayers with his mother." The post also included a photo of Kohli with his mother. Its archive can be seen here.
India Today, however, found that the viral claim was false. Virat Kohli’s brother refuted it.
OUR PROBE
We came across several news reports from January 31 that noted the former Indian captain’s brother had addressed rumours about their mother being ill.
Vikas Kohli wrote on his official Instagram account, “Hello everyone I have noticed that there is this fake news about our mom’s health been circulating around. Let me clear that our mom is absolutely fit and fine. Also, I would request everyone and also the media, not to spread such news without proper information. Thanks everyone for your concern.”
SOURCE OF RUMOURS
We found that many of the misleading posts appeared to have originated from Pakistan, such as a Facebook page called “Babar Azam Army” that lists its location as Multan, and an X account that claims to be a Pakistani sports journalist. One such post was shared by another Babar Azam fan page called “The Babarians Army”.
India Today has previously exposed misinformation campaigns from Pakistan about the Indian cricket team and players, with similar patterns in their dissemination. For instance, we debunked an incorrect statement attributed to Pakistani cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
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