4.12.2010

GAME , SET & MATCH!!


Sania-Shoaib marriage news has been going around for a while now. Really it’s hard to imagine a cross border marriage where one is a struggling cricket player (former captain) and the other arguably one of the most inspirational women sports personalities India has ever produced. Both successful sports figures though in their own right.
Shoaib won the toss and elected to bat on a tricky Hyderabadi pitch. Sania meanwhile was playing cat and mouse Grand Slam match with the media with a full house of “nothing-else-to-do-so-watching-the-match” kind of audience. Sania started the match with a perfect ace making her intentions clear that she wanted none other than Shoaib Malik as her mixed doubles partner. The audience was absolutely stunned as this serve came at the speed of million miles per hour. The match was on and no one in the audience was ready to leave the seat with their eyes firmly rooted to Sania.
Shoaib was going great guns but the turning point in the match was the introduction of Ayesha Siddiqui in the bowling attack. After a long run up she bowled a perfect FIR delivery and appealed for LBW. Shoaib was found plumb in front of the stumps. The police umpire sustained Ayesha Siddiqui’s appeal for LBW and Shoaib was soon shown the pavilion door by Ayesha’s googly. The only option left for Shoaib now was to come back in the second innings and hit a century and win Sania as the Man of the watch award. But it wasn’t going to be easy as Ayesha was in too good a form and was bowling well in the death overs with perfect yorkers. Ayesha’s appeal in the second innings had to be referred to the third umpire sitting in the court pavilion. He pressed the green light to give Shoaib another life. However, Ayesha was found guilty of overstepping and bowling wides several times and finally she was fined for a slow over rate and eventually out of attack as Shoaib heaved a sigh of relief and asked for a drinks break. Shoaib was tired and even asked for a runner but sadly it was overturned by the police umpire. He came out all guns blazing after the drinks break. The running between the Hyderabadi wickets had improved for Shoaib immensely.
He was now taking question bouncers from the media on the full and hitting them for sixes. This would have been a DLF maximum if he was playing in the IPL and certainly a city moment of success for Sania and Shoaib. It was a perfect match with Sania winning the first set and Shoaib was dealing in fours and sixes.
Sania meanwhile was busy tossing volleys and she outsmarted the opposition with her strong backhand. She was running through the court with great energy and defiance. She wasn’t going to make any unforced errors this time. It was advantage Sania in the final game and the match point was well within her grasp. Between games she kept talking to her daddy coach about the match strategy and he had only one advice for her daughter which was to finish the match in this game itself otherwise there were a lot of keen audience members who would intrude the court and pounce on her. Shoaib overcame the nervous nineties and finally hit a six of the final ball to win the match for her princess. He was ecstatic and over the moon but deep down he hoped that Ayesha wouldn’t be a part of the presentation ceremony. He had finally won it for her princess and there it was GAME, SET & MATCH.

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