This Image Does Not Show Fans Displaying BJP Flag At Ind vs Pak Asia Cup Match

We found that the image could be traced back to at least June 2023, which predates the 2023 Asia Cup.

Fact-Check | The image is old and is being shared with a misleading context.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image showing a person displaying the Indian flag, while another is seen holding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flag is being shared as a recent incident from the India vs Pakistan match in the 2023 Asia Cup.

The match was held at Sri Lanka's Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on 2 September.

What have users said?: Those sharing the image said, "Congress supporters are watching match with Tricolour flag. BJP supporters are watching a match with the BJP flag. This is a clear difference in ideology. #INDvsPAK."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

At the time of writing this report, the post had garnered more than 1,18,000 views. Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: The image could be traced back to at least June 2023, which predates the 2023 Asia Cup. According to reports, the image was captured during the finals of World Test Championship (WTC) between India and Australia.

How did we find out?: A simple Google Lens search led us to a report carrying the same image uploaded on India.com.

• It mentioned that a BJP flag was spotted during the first day of the India vs Australia test match being held at The Oval cricket ground in London.

• India was competing against Australia in the finals of WTC.

The report was published on 8 June.

(Source: India.com/Screenshot)

• Free Press Journal, too, published a similar report on 7 June.

• We further found that both these reports carried a post uploaded on India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai's official X account.

• Sardesai uploaded the same image with a caption that said, "Spotted at the Oval: just a reminder, this is India Vs Australia folks! #WTC2023."

• A comparison clearly highlights the similarities between both the images and one can conclude that they are the same.

We found several similarities on comparing both the images.

(Source: X/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

India vs Australia at the Oval: The Indian cricket team was competing against the Aussies at the Oval ground to clinch the WTC trophy. The match ended on 11 June with the Indian team losing by 209 runs.

Conclusion: The image is old and is being shared with a misleading context on social media platforms.

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