No, a BJP flag was not held up by spectators at recent India-Pak Asia Cup match

What is the claim?

The Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan was held in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, on  September 2, 2023, but remained inconclusive due to rain. India, batting first, put up a target of 267 runs for Pakistan, but due to continuous rain, not a single ball could be bowled in the second innings. As a result, both the teams were given one point each.

Now, an image claiming to have been captured from the stadium during this match is circulating on social media, in which spectators can be seen holding a banner showing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the claim that it is from the recent India vs. Pakistan in Asia. An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the picture with the caption, “Congress supporters watching the match with the tricolor flag. BJP supporters are watching the match with BJP flags. This is a clear difference in ideology.” This post has received over 17,000 views and this claim is also being shared on Facebook.

Screengrabs of claims made online (Source: X/@EEMRANJUM, Facebook/MukeshForInc. Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this picture was not captured during the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan. In fact, this picture was taken during the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final between India and Australia at the Oval Grounds in London in June this year.

What have we found?

A reverse image search led us to a report published by India.com on June 8, 2023. The report stated that during the final match of the World Test Championship played between India and Australia at the Oval Cricket Stadium in London, a group of spectators was seen holding a flag of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, the identity of the spectators could not be ascertained. Here is a comparison of the viral post and the India.com report.

A comparison of the viral post and the June 2023 report by India.com. (Source: X/@EEMRANJUM, India.com)

We also found that journalist Rajdeep Sardesai had also shared this picture on his X account on June 7, 2023. 

Screengrab of the post by Rajdeep Sardesai (Source: X/sardesairajdeep)

It is to be noted that the final match of the World Test Championship between India and Australia was played from June 7 to 11 at the Oval ground in London. Australia defeated India by 209 runs and won the championship.
We were not able to independently identify the identities of the people seen holding the flag and how old the photo is. However, since it was reported in June, this is evidence that it is unrelated to the recent Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan.

The verdict

An image captured during the final match of the World Test Championship between India and Australia is being linked to the recent Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.