LOVE MATCH! INDIAN BADMINTON ACE NEHWAL TO WED KASHYAP
NEW DELHI: India’s former world number one Saina Nehwal is to marry fellow badminton player Parupalli Kashyap in December, local media reported on Monday.
Nehwal confirmed her wedding with the 57th-ranked Kashyap to the Times of India daily, saying the time was right to exchange marriage vows.
Rumours about their love affair had been swirling for some time but the pair always maintained a studied silence until now.
Nehwal, 28, said she had started dating Kashyap, 32, in 2007 after they began going on tours together but delayed the marriage in order to focus on their careers.
“In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other,” she told the English-language daily.
Nehwal said she did not have to break the news to her parents as they had sensed it already.
“I didn’t have to tell them. We used to be together most of the time and my parents also travelled with me, so they understood who I was close to.”
Nehwal, who won a bronze at the DUBAI: Australia’s openers survived a torrid 13 over spell to finish on 30 without loss after Haris Sohail’s maiden century guided Pakistan to 482 on the second day of the first Test in Dubai on Monday.
Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 17 and debutant Aaron Finch was 13 not out as Australia negotiated some tight spin bowling from Pakistan on a pitch which has started to show signs of turn.
Pakistan unleashed four overs from legspinner Yasir Shah and a combined three from off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Bilal Asif, but both Australian openers looked assured.
Australia trail Pakistan by 452 runs with all ten wickets intact, but they face a big battle ahead of them with Yasir expected to pose the main threat.
A sparkling hundred from left-hander Sohail and a polished 80 from Asad Shafiq enabled Pakistan to build on an overnight score of 255 for 3, with nightwatchman Mohammad Abbas (one) the only wicket to fall in the morning session.
Sohail’s patient six-hour knock featured eight fours and two sixes, as he added 150 for the fifth wicket with Shafiq who was unlucky to miss out on his 10th century.
The pair frustrated the Australian attack with some solid batting as Pakistan reached 329-4 at lunch, with both in sight of centuries.
But Shafiq fell to the leg-spin of Marnus Labuschagne minutes before tea as he edged a turning ball to wicketkeeper Tim Paine for the debutant’s first wicket.
Shafiq hit nine boundaries and a six in his 278 minutes at the crease. recent Asian Games in Jakarta, is currently 11th in the world badminton rankings.
The wedding, to be held on December 16, will be the latest after a string of high-profile sports couples tied the knot.
Grand Slam-winning Indian tennis star Sania Mirza married Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in a dazzling ceremony in 2010 while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik is married to squash sensation Dipika Pallikal.
Fast bowler Ishant Sharma married national basketball player Pratima Singh in 2016. Pakistan 1st innings Imam-ul-haq c Paine b Lyon .......................................... 76 Mohammad Hafeez lbw Siddle ................................... 126 Azhar Ali c Starc b Holland ............................................. 18 Haris Sohail c Paine b Lyon .......................................... 110 Mohammad Abbas b Siddle ............................................ 1 Asad Shafiq c Paine b Labuschagne ............................... 80 Babar Azam run out ......................................................... 4 Sarfraz Ahmed run out ................................................... 15 Bilal Asif b Siddle ........................................................... 12 Wahab Riaz not out .......................................................... 7 Yasir Shah c Paine b Starc ................................................. 3 Extras: (b 6, lb 21, nb 3) ............................................... 30 Total: (all out, 164.2 overs) .............................. 482 Fall of wickets: 1-205, 2-222, 3-244, 4-260, 5-410, 6-418, 7-456, 8-470, 9-473 Bowling: Starc 36.2-11-90-1, Siddle 29-11-58-3, Lyon 5212-114-2, Holland 29-1-126-1, Labuschagne 8-0-29-1, M Marsh 10-0-38-0 Australia 1st innings Usman Khawaja not out ................................................ 17 A Finch not out ............................................................... 13 Total: (for 0 wkts, 13 overs) ................................ 30 Bowling: Abbas 4-1-9-0, Riaz 2-0-6-0, Yasir 4-0-14-0, Hafeez 2-1-1-0, Asif 1-1-0-0
Sohail did to get to three figures though, hitting a six off spinner Jon Holland before cutting him to third man for two to complete his century.
He was finally dismissed by Nathan Lyon, caught behind as he tried to cut the off-spinner, having easily surpassed his previous best of 76 made against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi last year.
Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 72 runs, including the run outs of Babar Azam (four) and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed for 15.
Fast bowler Peter Siddle was the pick of the bowlers with 3-58 while Lyon finished with 2-114 from 52 overs. Holland, Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc took a wicket each.
The second and final Test will be played in Abu Dhabi from October 16.