An investigation by Vishvas News has confirmed that Shashi Tharoor’s viral video is a deepfake. Tharoor did not praise Pakistan’s diplomatic stance during the T20 World Cup. While misinformation spread off the field, on the field India maintained their dominance in the tournament by defeating Pakistan by 61 runs on February 15.
New Delhi (Vishvas News): A video of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is going viral on social media. The video is said to be praising Pakistan’s diplomatic stance during the ongoing T20 World Cup in 2026. Many social media users have shared the video believing it to be real.
Vishvas News investigated the viral video and found that it was fabricated. Shashi Tharoor’s viral video is a deepfake. Tharoor himself has denied that the video was fabricated.
What’s trending?
A Facebook page named ‘Vok Sports’ posted a video of Shashi Tharoor on February 11, 2026, claiming that he praised Pakistan. “I think Pakistan are playing really well. I don’t know what they will do on the field. But what they have done diplomatically is absolutely brilliant. The Indian cricket world has absolutely nailed it. This is a lesson that good diplomacy can even make a weak country look like Goliath. Pakistan did it. I want to thank Pakistan. It is unthinkable,” he is seen saying in the video.
investigation
Vishwas News began its investigation by scanning Shashi Tharoor’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle. On February 12, he posted an explanation for the fake video shared by a Pakistani journalist, saying, “It’s ‘fake news’ generated by AI and it’s not very good. My words and voice are different.”
Additionally, ANI’s X-handle was scanned and Tharoor’s actual statement on February 10 was found. In the 56-second original video, Tharoor tells the media: “I’m a politician, but I don’t like playing politics with cricket or sports…Let the players play and let the politicians do their politics elsewhere…I’m happy that cricket will continue with this game, regardless of the result.”
India vs Pakistan match (February 15, 2026)
The controversy took place amidst the high-stakes match between India and Pakistan in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Pakistan had initially refused to play India in the T20 World Cup match in Sri Lanka. Then, with a U-turn, they agreed to play the match. The much-awaited match took place on February 15, 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Despite diplomatic tensions, the match proceeded as scheduled. India won with a resounding 61 runs. India batted first and scored a total of 175/7 with Ishan Kishan smashing an incredible 77 off 40 balls. In response, the Indian bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up, bowling them out for just 114 runs in 18 overs. With this victory, India qualified for the Super 8 stage.
Vishvas News used several AI detection tools to verify the video.
Deepfake-o-meter (University of Buffalo): The WAV2LIP-STA model identified 83.59% of videos as being generated by AI.
Aurigin.ai: This Swiss deep-tech tool showed that the voice had a 78% chance of being an AI clone.
Expert Azhar Makwe confirmed that the teeth alignment and lip-syncing in the video showed clear signs of AI manipulation.
The investigation concluded by identifying the user who shared Shashi Tharoor’s deepfake video. A social scan revealed that the “Vok Sports” page was operated from Sydney, Australia. The number of followers is over 48,000. This page was created on April 27, 2025.
Conclusion:
An investigation by Vishvas News has confirmed that Shashi Tharoor’s viral video is a deepfake. Tharoor did not praise Pakistan’s diplomatic stance during the T20 World Cup. While misinformation spread off the field, on the field India maintained their dominance in the tournament by defeating Pakistan by 61 runs on February 15.
- Claim review: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised Pakistan’s diplomatic stance during the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup.
- Claimant: Facebook page “Vokusport”
- Fact check: error
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