Rishabh Pant likes several Mia Zelu posts. And she isn't even real!

Dubai: Rishabh Pant, India’s 27-year-old vice-captain, is making headlines—but this time, it’s not for his on-field performance. Social media was abuzz after fans noticed Pant had apparently liked multiple Instagram posts by virtual influencer Mia Zelu.

Screenshots of his Instagram activity quickly went viral, sparking widespread curiosity.

Mia Zelu is an AI-generated virtual model known for her bold, glamorous content. She currently has over 145,000 followers on Instagram. Her follower list is private, so it’s unclear whether Pant officially follows her account.

This isn’t the first time an Indian cricketer has drawn attention for Instagram interactions. Recently, Virat Kohli was in the spotlight after he accidentally liked a post by influencer Avneet Kaur. The incident snowballed into controversy, prompting Kohli to issue a clarification—which unfortunately triggered further online trolling and rumors of a rift with his wife, actress Anushka Sharma.

In Pant’s case, while some users criticised him, many fans came to his defence, arguing that liking posts on social media is hardly controversial and that cricketers deserve personal space and digital freedom without being constantly judged.

As one of the most followed Indian cricketers, Pant is used to his every move — on the field or on Instagram — being dissected in the public eye.

On the cricket front, Pant recently scored twin centuries in the first Test against England but couldn’t replicate the performance in the second match, managing only 25 runs off 42 balls.