Stunning influencer’s Instagram posts go viral at Wimbledon – and attract the interest of a sports star… but he’s been duped
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- Over 150,000 people follow an Instagram account featuring influencer Mia Zelu
- Fans screenshotted a series of likes from Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant
- Pant, who has removed the likes, has been mocked for his interactions
Thousands of social media users, including an international cricket star, have been duped by an AI influencer who has attracted huge swathes of attention on Instagram.
Over 150,000 people follow influencer Mia Zelu on the social media platform, with her most recent post from her ‘trip’ to Wimbledon drawing 43,000 ‘likes’.
Zelu shared snaps of herself enjoying a glass of Pimm’s, sitting in the stands courtside and enjoying a buffet from her visit to SW19.
The caption accompanying the post asked fans ‘which Wimbledon match was your fave?’
Thousands have liked the posts shared by Zelu, with Indian cricket fans noting their wicket-keeper batsmen Rishabh Pant was among them.
One fan produced a compilation of the posts from Zelu’s account, with Pant among the thousands to have liked the images.
Thousands of people have liked Instagram images shared by influencer Mia Zelu at Wimbledon
Images appeared to show Zelu in the stands, as well as drinking Pimm’s at the tournament
The Instagram account has been followed by over 150,000 people, despite Zelu being an AI-generated model
Fans were quick to poke fun at Pant’s expense, due to the influencer’s image having been generated using AI.
‘Rishabh Pant thinks he’s interacting with a real girl, totally oblivious to the fact that it’s an AI,’ one account wrote.
Another added: ‘Someone should probably tell Rishabh Pant that this is an AI account…’
Pant’s likes of the posts are no longer visible on Instagram, with the India’s 27-year-old vice-captain yet to address the interactions.
Fans also compared the likes to a similar situation involving former India captain Virat Kohli in May, after he had appeared to have liked a post from actress Avneet Kaur.
‘I’d like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction,’ Kohli said following speculation on social media.
‘There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made.’
Unlike the AI model, Pant had actually been in attendance at Wimbledon on Monday ahead of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s.
Fans shared screenshots of likes by Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant, which have since been deleted
Fans had mocked Pant on social media for liking the Instagram posts, which the star has yet to address
The star had spoken of his desire to watch world No1 Jannik Sinner in action at the tournament as he attended the Championships for the first time.
Pant will now turn his attentions to the crucial third Test between England and India, with the series currently level at 1-1.
Despite England winning the first Test, Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score centuries in both innings of a Test, with the 27-year-old starring at Headingley.
