Did Afghan cricketers raise ‘Vande Mataram’ slogans at T20 World Cup? No, video is edited

What is the claim?

Amid the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, a video allegedly depicting Afghanistan cricket team players celebrating by chanting 'Vande Mataram (I praise thee, Mother)' slogans has gone viral. The claim suggests they were rejoicing after India’s victory over Australia in a Super Eight match of the ongoing tournament. 'Vande Mataram,' historically associated with India's independence movement against British rule, is a popular patriotic slogan.

The viral video includes an Australia-India scoreboard indicating India's win by 24 runs. A Twitter user shared the video, stating in Hindi, "Afghanistan beat Bangladesh and entered semi-finals; Afghanistan raised 'Vande Mataram' slogans on India's victory, congratulations to them for the victory." Similarly, a YouTube caption claimed, "Afghanistan cricket team congratulates India on their 'Vandeplayers  Mataram' victory." Archived versions of such posts can be viewed here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of the viral social media posts. (Source: X/Facebook/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the truth?

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video reveals its origin in 2023. Former Afghan cricket team captain Mohammad Nabi posted the video on his verified Instagram (archived here) account on October 23, 2023, congratulating Afghanistan. In the video, they clearly chant "Naare-e-Takbeer, Allah-Hu-Akbar." The same video was also posted from Nabi's X (archived here) account on the same date with the caption, "Congratulations! Our team emerged triumphant n an epic battle against 🇵🇰 ending a long-awaited victory drought. It was a true test of skills & teamwork. All showcased thr immense tlnt & unwavering dedication. Let's celebrate ds 2gether n d glory of our great 🏏 team & people🇦🇫."

(Source: X/ Mohammad Nabi)

Indian news channel Aaj Tak reported on October 24, 2023, confirming the video's context. It clarified that the Afghan team celebrated their first-ever victory over Pakistan in one-day cricket, defeating them by 8 wickets on October 23, 2023. During the celebration, Afghan cricketer Gulbadin Naib raised the slogan of Allah-Hu-Akbar, which gained attention.

The Afghanistan cricket team recently reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals after beating Bangladesh in the Super Eight. However, they lost the semi-finals against South Africa on June 26, 2024. Further, India won against Australia in the Super Eight and reached the semi-final, to be played against England on June 27, 2024. 

The verdict

The viral video falsely claims that Afghanistan's cricket team was celebrating India's recent T20 World Cup win over Australia by raising 'Vande Mataram' slogans. The original 2023 video clearly shows them chanting 'Allah-Hu-Akbar.'