Virat Kohli Playing GTA in Childhood Photo Fact Check: Is the viral picture of Virat Kohli playing GTA in his childhood fake or real? Virat Kohli, needless to say, is one of the most-followed personalities on social media even when he is not in the limelight and isn't playing. Fans often keep a tab on and share Virat Kohli's latest updates on social media. And a picture has gone viral that showed the star cricketer playing GTA (Grand Theft Auto) on a TV set in his childhood. In this article, we shall take a look at whether the picture is real or fake and find out the truth behind it. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Set To Feature in IND A vs AUS A Series Ahead of India's Tour of Australia: Report.

The viral picture in question shows a young Virat Kohli sitting in front of a television set and holding gaming controllers and looking behind. In front of him in the picture is a TV set, the screen of which had a screenshot from the popular GTA (Grand Theft Auto) game. The background walls have a dilapidated look and the table on which the Sony TV set is kept also does not look too new in the viral picture. Some social media users shared the picture claiming that it was a rare picture of the India National Cricket Team star. "Beautiful gold memories," another one wrote. ‘Only Virat Kohli Would Last…’ Mental Conditioning Coach Paddy Upton Feels Only 36-Year-Old Among Indian Cricketers Could Match India Hockey Team’s Fitness.

Fake Pic of Virat Kohli Playing GTA in Childhood Goes Viral

Another Social Media User Shares Fake Pic of Virat Kohli Playing GTA

Is Picture of Virat Kohli Playing GTA Real or Fake? Here’s the Truth

Well, the childhood picture of Virat Kohli playing the popular video game GTA in his childhood is fake. As a matter of fact, the picture has been generated using AI (Artificial Intelligence). Yes, the character in the viral picture does resemble Virat Kohli in his childhood, but with AI tools readily available, this could have been created with ease and uploaded online. With the popularity and buzz around Virat Kohli always making it to mainstream news, the credibility of this viral picture cannot be verified or cross-checked from any authentic source. And this has made spreading fake information on this issue easier. Neither Virat Kohli nor any of his family members or acquaintances have ever shared this picture online. This picture had surfaced on the internet at the time of Virat Kohli's Test retirement, on May 12 and went viral. Virat Kohli Passes Fitness Test In London As BCCI Agrees To Ace Batter’s ‘Special Request’: Report.

Another thing to be looked at here is the controller in the character's hands. If one assumes that this picture is from the late 1990s to early 2000s, there's no chance that the controller, which, upon being searched on Google, was found to look a lot like Sony's DualShock 3 controller, was available in India. The DualShock 3 controller was reportedly released in India in late 2007 or early 2008. Also by looking at the TV, one can figure out that this wasn't the quality of video games available on TV at that time.

To play GTA on a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) TV, one would require an HDMI to AV converter and in this picture, it is only a single cable that is seen connected to a device that, in turn, is connected to the TV.  Also, GTA, which was released in 1997, was not available in India in the late 1990s, a time from which this picture looks like.

Virat Kohli's Return

Virat Kohli, earlier this year, shocked the cricketing world with his decision to retire from Test cricket. The 36-year-old is among the fittest in modern-day cricket and although he did have a lean patch in Test cricket for some time, many believed that he still could have continued playing the longest format of the game for at least another couple of years. Virat Kohli, who had retired from T20Is last year, last played in IPL 2025 and is expected to be in action when the India National Cricket Team tours Australia for an ODI series in October 2025.

Fact check

Virat Kohli Playing GTA in Childhood Photo Fact Check: Is Picture of Star Cricketer Playing Popular Video Game Real or Fake? Here’s the Truth
Claim :

Viral picture claimed to be Virat Kohli in his childhood, playing GTA, the popular video game.

Conclusion :

The picture is fake and has been generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2025 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).