If you were Sania, would you marry Shoaib?

Sania Mirza is known for her strong two-handed backhand, but this time, she’s served up an ace. And this isn’t on the tennis court. Her announced marriage with the controversial offbreak bowler and former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, is a doosra deal altogether! It’s hardly been a few months — January 28, to be precise — since her family announced that they had called off her engagement to childhood buddy Sohrab Mirza. The decision was reported to be mutual, with Sania citing “incompatibility” as the reason for the split. Now it seems things are headed firmly down the aisle between Shoaib and Sania.

Despite the front page headlines he is grabbing in India and Pakistan for already being married and that, too, to an Indian girl from Hyderabad. Several questions are doing the rounds. Like, firstly, why is Sania Mirza, who is just 24, in such a tearing hurry to marry this man? It isn’t as if he is the most eligible bachelor around. And, it’s not even certain if he is a bachelor! Given the couple met and fell in love, yet why the rush to marry, why not wait for a couple of months until this grand parade of skeletons from Shoaib’s closet has ended? Or his divorce, if he is married, comes through? Second, Shoaib is no Imran Khan — the lionhearted Pathan was one of the world’s most eligible in his time, and a real bachelor until he got married at 43 — whereas Shoaib, at 28, is terribly immature as can be seen from the silly interviews he is giving about his alleged marriage and first wife Ayesha. So what’s Sania’s hurry? She can’t be so madly in love with Shoaib that she’s willing to overlook all these controversies and risk being the second wife of a man who, well, is painted both sides of the border as being something of a rat! Is it on the rebound? Or is it because Sania’s in the autumn of her tennis career, so to speak?



We put Shoaib’s case before several single Mumbai hotties and asked the question, “If you were Sania Mirza would you marry Shoaib Malik?” Shenaz Treasuryvala probably wouldn’t have made this move to matrimony, but on the flip side, she adds, “But then who knows what I’d do if I fell passionately, madly, hopelessly in love? It’s her personal decision, really, none of anybody’s business. As long as she keeps representing India how does it matter who she falls in love with and marries?”

Upcoming actress Sonal Chauhan doesn’t agree, she believes, “I think its ones personal call and depends on what transpires between two individuals.” But the bold and beautiful Neetu Chandra is all for it. “Of course! Why not?” she asks, and goes on to explain: “Sania and Shoaib are from sports backgrounds so their chemistry would be great. They both look beautiful together and the bottom line is if they like each other, there should not be any hassle.”

Payal Rohatgi feels that marriage would be awkward. “Sania is a star so obviously skeletons will emerge when she decides to marry. But I hope there is honesty between the couple as they have to live with each other.” Hyderabad girl Sherlyn Chopra has no problems about the idea of this kind of marriage, but gives it a different spin: “Everybody has a past. And everybody has the right to have a great future. If I were Sania and truly, madly and deeply in love with Shoaib, I would not have been judgmental about his past. However, if he has a wife already, common sense would suggest he terminate his first marriage legally and start a brand new chapter in his life.”

Nauheed Cyrusi is an idealist, and doesn’t know if she would have done the same. But says, “They’re obviously in love. And the sheer beauty of love is you don’t bring religion, countries in the way!” A view echoed by singer Anaida, who adds, “When it comes to marriage I think only the two people in love know how they feel. Maybe I’m an idealist but I dream of a world that’s one and cast, country and religion are no excuse for division.” Nethra Raghuraman would have done the same, marry him that is, because “Love does have no boundaries. I find it really endearing and adorable that their love surpasses geography. All I can see are two people, in love, deciding to embark on a journey together.”