Following the recent announcement of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s second child, a baby boy is named Akaay. Images of Anushka Sharma holding a baby are circulating widely on social media. These images are being shared with claims suggesting that the baby in the picture is the couple’s second child.
A Facebook user posted the image with a caption: Congratulations to Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma on their new baby ❤️#MohammedShami #indiancricketteam #TeamIndia #viratkohli #anushkasharma #cricketchallenge #cricketupdates
You can check the post here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral post, and found it to be misleading.
Putting the image through Reverse Image Search, our team identified a gallery report from NewsroomPost, dated January 12, 2021, with a title: It’s A Baby Boy for Wrestler Babita Phogat and hubby Vivek Suhag; See Pics. The article featured a similar image capturing gold medallist wrestler-turned-politician Babita Phogat cradling her newborn baby. According to the report, the image depicts the former wrestler when she welcomed a baby boy in January 2021.
You can check the report here.
We further came across a post by Babita Phogat on X (formerly known as Twitter), dated January 11, 2021, with a caption: “Meet our little SONshine.”🧿 “Believe in dreams; they do come true. Ours came dressed in blue!”💙 #mother #love #care
You can check the post here.
Upon careful examination and comparison, the NM team observed striking similarities in the clothes worn by both Anushka Sharma and Babita Phogat. The infants, featured in both the viral image and the one shared by Phogat on X, appear to be same. However, the comparison clearly reveals that the viral image of Anushka Sharma has been altered, and the original image shows Babita Phogat holding her baby boy.
Conducting a Reverse Image Search of another picture circulating in the viral post, we stumbled upon a report by Samachar Samrat, dated January 28, 2024, featuring the identical image. Upon a closer look the image appears to be altered. It is also important to highlight that according to the official announcement made by Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, their second child was born on February 15. Therefore, this cannot be the image of their second child.
You can check the report here.
Running a Reverse Image Search on the third image from the viral post, we found the original image posted by Anushka Sharma on Instagram. The image features Virat and Anushka’s first child, Vamika, not their second child.
You can check the post here.
Our team discovered a Getty Image similar to the fourth image in the viral post. The original image does not show Anushka holding a baby, and it has been altered.
You can check the Getty image here.
We further checked the couple’s social media handles and found no pictures of their second child, nor any featuring Anushka Sharma with an infant.
It should be noted that the couple has consistently urged fans and the media to respect their privacy regarding their children and refrain from sharing images or details about their children’s lives in public. In the recent announcement, the couple reiterated their request for privacy at this time.
Thus, it is evident that the image in question, claiming Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s second child, has been altered.
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