There might be a new angle in the viral Gautam Gambhir middle-finger controversy. Some have claimed that the original video might have been morphed.

A video of Gambhir flipping the finger to a section of the Pallekele crowd went viral on social media on September 4 during India’s match against Nepal. In the video, chants of “Dhoni Dhoni” or “Kohli Kohli” can be heard (the exact words aren’t clear) as Gambhir passes through the stands. Gambhir, who has a sour history with both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, gives the finger to the crowd as he walks by.

A couple of hours after the video went viral, Gambhir presented a different version of events to the media. He said that he was responding to a few Pakistani fans during the India-Pakistan game who were chanting anti-India slogans and not to “Dhoni Dhoni” or “Kohli Kohli” chants. Gambhir went on to add that everything on social media isn’t real and he would react in the same manner again if someone spoke ill about his country.

Since then, there have been speculations both in support of and against Gambhir’s statements. Some have claimed that it is highly unlikely that Pakistani fans would chant anti-India slogans in stands surrounded by Indian fans, directing them to a former international cricketer of Gambhir’s stature; others have argued that the viral video might have been morphed.

One user pointed out that the chants heard in the Gambhir video were the same as those heard during an IPL match earlier this year when Naveen-ul-Haq had been standing near the boundary line. The same audio was morphed into the Gambhir clip.

This are two different clips with same chant of Kohli
Some fatherless Pakistani replace the real audio from the original clip where they (pakistani) chanting anti-india slogan and passing comments on Kashmir.Don’t trust everything on social media
WE ARE WITH YOU @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/tSIowSg9xf

— Ｍｒ.ＤＲＡＸＸ 🎩 (@Draxx_007) September 4, 2023

Before Gambhir’s statement, it was widely believed that the clip doing the rounds was from the India-Nepal game. However, some fans pointed out that he had been wearing a black shirt during India’s game against Nepal, while in the video, he could be seen wearing a white shirt, same as the one he was spotted wearing during India’s match against Pakistan on September 2.

Gambhir, a sitting Member of Parliament for BJP, said that the Pakistani fans in the stands were chanting “Hindustan murdabad (death to India)” and had been raising the controversial Kashmir issue, something he admittedly can’t tolerate: “If you chant anti-India slogans or if you say Hindustan murdabad or if you talk about Kashmir, then this is how anyone will react. They will not walk away smiling.”

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