Sports India

It takes one champ to know another. When India XI’s pacer par excellence Zaheer Khan says how he spotted the spark in Sania Mirza a couple of years ago, as he’d inaugurated a tennis championship in Hyderabad, it’s huge pat on the back for India’s latest tennis sensation. In Lucknow, for the Duleep trophy last week, Zaheer Khan was effusive in his praise for the new star on the Indian sports galaxy.

“Sania has everyone glued to the television and has done India proud. Though I met her fleetingly at a tennis programme in Hyderabad, it was apparent that Sania had it in her to hit the world’s best list. And she’s already in the Top 100 league,” smiles Zaheer Khan.

That Sania rates Zaheer only second to Sachin Tendulkar, among her cricket favourites simply proves that a mutual admiration society is on it’s way to being formed.

But getting back to his own game Zaheer Khan knows that a lot was printed about his injuries and now he’s all set to remove any doubts about his game. “I’m fully fit and ready for the forthcoming Indo-Pak series. It’s a much-awaited series and after our stupendous success in Pakistan last year, it’s going to be all the more fun on home-soil.”

Prepared for the Indo-Pak mother of all matches, Zaheer Khan also knows that life can get boring if time-out is not enjoyed thoroughly. “Partying is important once in a while to loosen up. Like in South Africa all of us team-mates had celebrated our win and gone out to all the night spots. That was fun,” says the cricketer, who likes to unwind listening to slow Hindi music.

As good as he is on the field, reading the opposition’s next step before-hand, so he is with trick questions. Ask Mr Pacer about his numerous link-ups and he refuses to fall for it. “My focus is cricket. And that’s the only link-up I want for some years to come,” is the crisp and clear answer.

Hope his affair with cricket lasts a life-time

Sania Mirza paid a special visit to the Calcutta Muslim Orphanage today, even as she seemed to have little patience for the media.

“I came here to visit the orphanage not to meet the media. You people should know where to be. I came here to meet them not you,” she told the reporters present at the orphanage.

The 18-year-old just wanted to be left alone to have some time to interact with the 250 odd members of the orphanage.

Sania, who is currently nursing an ankle injury, says she will resume training on Monday ahead of the Dubai Open. But in the meantime, she has had a busy weekend, which included meeting Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly in Siliguri.

There were ‘suitors in the waiting’ for tennis sensation Sania Mirza – makers of colas, apparel, footwear, mobile, services, personal care and other products.

But, how did it happen for a bouncy young lady in her teens? All it took was loss against Sarena Williams at the Australian Open and a title win at Hyderabad Open for Sania Mirza’s media managers Globo Media Solutions to negotiate over 18 advertising offers worth over Rs seven crore.

Three deals have been finalized according to Anirban Das, Vice President (Sales & Marketing), Globosport and the first announcement to that effect will be made in Delhi in the first week of March.

He revealed that Sania is likely to endorse sports apparel as one of the brands. “She won’t be signing any more deals in this year,” Das said.

Mirza currently endorses GVK Industries, Sahara, Atlas Cycles, Tata Tea and Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh; some of which will end in middle of this year.

Das informed that three more endorsements will put Sania in the Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly bracket.

Sania is likely to endorse the brands for one year. Some contracts can go up to three years too as she aims to break into the top 50 this year.

Sania is to shoot for her new campaigns sometime in March, this year.