At the recently held Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) in Lucknow, Indian pacer Mohammad Shami bagged the 'Cricketer of the Year' award.
Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami, sidelined from cricket due to an ankle injury, secured the 'Cricketer of the Year' accolade at the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) in Lucknow on Friday. The award to the veteran bowler was presented by none other than Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, social media, particularly on platform X (formerly Twitter), is buzzing with discussions about photographs capturing the UP CM handing the award to Shami along with what seems to be a tennis racquet. This has reignited netizens' imagination about a potential marriage between the cricketer and tennis ace Sania Mirza, who recently made headlines with the public announcement of her divorce from Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in January.
In a post on X on Saturday, Shami expressed his joy over receiving the award stating, "Thrilled to announce that I have been honored with an award from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sir at the prestigious Times of India-TOISA awards as a best cricketer of the year presented by the Uttar Pradesh government!"
Thrilled to announce that I have been honored with an award from Chief Minister sir at the prestigious Times of India-TOISA awards as a best cricketer of the year 🏆presented by the Uttar Pradesh government!"
, ,… pic.twitter.com/pO2MYravan
While most fans congratulated Shami for this accomplishment, a few were quick to point out the Yonex racquet that was handed over to the Indian pacer.
"Congratulations but Yonex ka tennis ya badminton racquet kyu diya," said one user on X.
Another added, "Tennis Racket to a Bowler? Yogi ji hinting towards a Tennis Player-Cricketer love story?"
Tennis Racket to a Bowler? Yogi ji hinting towards a Tennis Player-Cricketer love story? 😍 pic.twitter.com/OhJaYPgCt7
— Facts (@BefittingFacts)It's worth nothing that Shoaib Malik got married to popular Pakistani actor Sana Javed amid rumours of his separation with Mirza. Malik and Javed were rumoured to be dating. Despite rampant speculation about their separation, Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza maintained a tight-lipped stance regarding their private lives.
Fueling rumours of their divorce, Sania Mirza posted a cryptic story on January 17, just days before Shoaib's marriage, which ultimately proved to be true.
“Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely," Sania had shared the quote on her Instagram story.
On January 21 an official statement from Sania Mirza's team was released which read, "Sania has always kept her personal life away from the public eye. However, today the need has arisen for her to share that Shoaib and she have been divorced for a few months now. She wishes Shoaib well for his new journey ahead! At this sensitive period of her life, we would like to request all fans and well-wishers to refrain from indulging in any speculation and to respect her need for privacy."
After this development, numerous fans began associating Sania Mirza's name with Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami, with an AI-generated image of the duo dressed in traditional wedding attire rapidly circulating online. Although the potential connection between the two remains mere speculation and a wish among fans, the picture of Shami receiving a racquet from Yogi Adityanath has revived their interest. Some fans also promptly pointed out that the racquet presented to the Indian cricketer was not for tennis but for badminton.
Here's a look at some of the reactions:
Sania?
— VK! (@varoun3883)To ab yogi ji ghar baswa rahe shami ka or sania ka?
— sonu jagga (@sonujagga1995)Humari bhabhi kaisi ho????
— Frequent flier (@Dreamer11235)I think it's a Badminton racket
— DEVENDRA GURBAXANI (@DEVENDRAGURBAXA)Tum bhi aakele, hum bhi aakele........🫣
Kasam se....
Sami bhai 💘संग 💕Saniya Bhabhi
I think, Yonex manufactures badminton racquet. https://t.co/SzFdiKwDsU
— Varun Sharma (@DwellingDeep_)Congratulations but Yonex ka tennis ya badminton racquet kyu diya 😭 https://t.co/Ndvoguo6L2
— Rohann (@rohannadhikari)