India: Indian tennis player Sania Mirza married former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik on Monday after their families moved the date of the ceremony forward by three days.

Pakistan’s former cricket captain Shoaib Malik, left, and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza react during their marriage ceremony in Hyderabad, India on Monday. Arabnews / (AP)

Arabnews.com

The ceremony took place in a hotel at Mirza’s hometown of Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Rucha Naik, a spokeswoman for Mirza’s family said Monday.

“Just now the Nikah (Muslim marriage ceremony) has been performed. Please pray for the couple,” Naik told reporters.

The union of two of South Asia’s best known sports personalities came amid a controversy caused by another Indian woman, Ayesha Siddique, who claimed she was already married to Malik. Last week, Muslim elders brokered a divorce between the pair, clearing the way for the wedding.

Sania Mirza was dressed in a traditional red sari that her mother wore at her own wedding 25 years ago, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Both Mirza and Malik will now be based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, but continue to represent their countries in their respective sports, Mirza’s father Imran Mirza said.

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