Virat fans flood Zuckerberg's social media after cricketer blames algorithm for 'like' on Avneet Kaur's Instagram post

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli found himself at the centre of controversy after what he claimed to be an "algorithm error" on Instagram.

Fans of Kohli have been flooding Instagram comments under posts of actress Avneet Kaur and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, after the cricketer "liked" a picture of of the actress, according to multiple media reports.

Fans were quick to spot an interaction of Kohli's verified Instagram account with Kaur's recent photo from a series of pictures she posted from her Goa vacation. In the comments section of said post, even Anushka Sharma, Bollywood star and the cricketer's wife, was tagged by his fans.

DH could not independently verify the account interaction.

Kohli issued a clarification on his account, saying, "I'd like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction," the post read.

"There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding," it further stated.

Soon his fans started leaving comments under Zuckerberg's posts, asking the Meta CEO to apologise to the cricketer.

The "like", however, was no longer seen on the post, but netizens continued discussions over it.

Some started having fun in the comment section of the "liked" picture, with gifs, while the other half showed support and defended Kohli's action by saying "it's not a big deal."

The social media frenzy began just a day after Kohli posted a heartfelt message for his wife Anushka Sharma on her birthday.

"To my best friend, my life partner, my safe space, my everything. You're the guiding light of all of our lives. We love you so much more everyday. Happy birthday my love," Kohli posted along with a picture with her.