By: Dipti Sadh
Virat Kohli is back in the headlines again. Not from the thunder of his batting pitch, but a blunder that the “algorithm” hit.
Kohli’s verified Instagram account liked a photograph of LizLaz, a German-South African blogger and digital creator. The post was not even new, and Virat does not even follow her. But the noise on “the Gram” is palpable.
The Photo That Cooked Up A Storm
Since becoming the subject of Kohli’s double-tap, LizLaz’s golden hour post has received almost 118k likes, 14.4k comments, and 102k shares.
The photo in question was a joint post from LizLaz and photographer Advait Vaidya from January 2026. Vaidya was quick to share a screenshot of the “like,” clearly stunned, saying, “Me and Liz are still rubbing our eyes to check if it’s actually happening… haha… Thank you, Goat…”
This wasn’t a “top of the feed” accidental tap. To find it, one would have to scroll—or, as fans are calling it, “deep research.” The reaction was instantaneous. On X (formerly Twitter), threads started popping up within minutes.
One fan quipped, “Bhai ne poora profile check kiya hai (He checked the whole profile)”, while others flooded LizLaz‘s comments with the Indian flag and goat emojis.
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This is not the first time that the algorithm seems to have put the chase master in a spot. Back in May 2025, he was in a similar pickle when a photo of actress Avneet Kaur, liked by him, got undue attention.
A clarification was issued saying that the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction.
While Avneet’s followers and hype both saw a steep rise, memes flooded everywhere. Jokes took over comment sections. Someone even said, “Algorithm is the 12th man.”
While some were even quick to suggest that Virat should just create a secret account.
Cut to April 2026: one twiddle of King Kohli’s thumbs has made LizLaz an overnight trending sensation in India.
In the digital world, a celebrity’s mistake is a memer’s fuel. When Yuzvendra Chahal, the unofficial king of social media, dropped the single word “Algorithm” under the viral post, he effectively turned a potential scandal into a comedy sketch.
By making memes, fans are effectively saying, “We see you, we caught you, and we are going to have a laugh about it.”
But what is more interesting than the incident itself is our reaction to it.
Why Do Millions Of People Care About One “Like”?
Maybe it is because we are always trying to catch a glimpse into celebrities’ lives.
We feel we know Virat; he is in our living room every IPL season. We put our heroes on a pedestal but are always waiting in the shadows for that one mistake, a random tap, a small slip.
LizLaz is not just a face on screen anymore. With a master’s degree in psychology, she understands better than anyone the “storm” she has just been dropped into.
It is the “Kohli effect,” and do not be surprised if you start seeing her make an appearance in some new and trending dance number.
The media is already asking her for her two bits, where she seems to have sympathised with Kohli, saying, “I was so happy that he liked it, but then him unliking it, I felt a bit bad for him because I don’t even know how it became such a big story. How did people notice? How did they make it news…? That was probably not his intention behind it, but still I am grateful for it, and I appreciate the support from him.”
Privacy even eludes the king. A simple tap is no longer simple. People gain visibility.
Narratives are built. Someone relatively unknown can suddenly become a topic of national conversation.
All because of one double-tap.
It becomes content.
It becomes a conversation.
And sometimes, it becomes a controversy.
It makes you wonder, are we reacting to what happened, or are we just drawn to the chaos that follows?
The algorithm is just a scapegoat, a measure celebrities use to bypass the awkwardness of human error. For us, a “like” is just a split-second gesture, but for a global icon, it is a liability.
But maybe it is time we look away, stop over-analysing the ’12th man,’ and just let the King scroll in peace.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Times of India, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald
This post is tagged under: Virat Kohli Lizlaz, Virat Kohli, Lizlaz, Virat Kohli Lizlaz viral interaction, Virat Kohli Lizlaz viral, Virat Kohli Lizlaz viral post, Virat Kohli instagram, algorithm
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