Pakistan has reversed its earlier stance on boycotting India’s match in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with the government ordering the Salman Ali Agha-led side to play the match as scheduled on February 15. Soon after, a video started circulating online claiming that Congress MP and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor applauded the decision. The video went viral on social media.
What did the video show?
In the video, Tharoor can be heard saying, “I think the way Pakistan played is really brilliant. I don’t know what they would do on the field. But what they did diplomatically is sheer brilliance. The Indian cricket board was completely pinned down. It serves as a lesson that good diplomacy can even make a weak nation look like a goliath. Pakistan did it and I want to commend them for that.”
The AI-generated video was shared on X with the caption: “Pakistan nailed India,” says @ShashiTharoor, adding, “Pakistan deserves to be commended for taking a bold stand” in #icct20worldcup2026.”
‘Neither my tongue nor my voice’
Reacting to the fake video, the Congressman said it was fake and created with the help of artificial intelligence. “Ai-generated ‘fake news’ – and not very good either. Not my language, not my voice,” Tharoor said.
The Congress MP instead slammed Islamabad’s decision to boycott the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, calling it “shameful”. Tharoor criticized the growing politicization of cricket and emphasized that the sport should act as a bridge rather than a divide. “Frankly, it’s quite shameful that sport has been politicized like this on both sides,” Tharoor said.
Tharoor’s comments followed Pakistan’s announcement that they would skip their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against India on February 15. The Pakistan government confirmed the move in a post on X, saying the team “will not take the field” against India.