Sania Mirza reacts to India’s heartbreaking loss in ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2023

She mentored RCB in the IPL last season.

Sania Mirza, India’s tennis icon and six-time Grand Slam champion, expressed her heartbreak and pride after India lost to Australia by six wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

India, who had enjoyed an unbeaten run so far, failed to defend their modest total of 240 against a clinical Australian chase. Travis Head, who was named the Player of the Match, scored a brilliant 137 off 120 balls to steer Australia to their sixth World Cup title with seven overs to spare.

Mirza, who retired from professional tennis earlier this year, took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “Sport doesn’t always have fairytale endings 😔 The ‘almost perfect World Cup ‘ wasn’t to be … but so much to be proud of our team and boys 🇮🇳 each one of you is truly amazing 🙏🏽 Congratulations to Australia, you were the better team today .”

The tennis legend who is married to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, is a keen follower of the sport and often cheers for the Indian team. She was among the celebrities who attended the World Cup final in Ahmedabad, where she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also visited the Indian dressing room to motivate the players after the loss.

Mirza, the only Indian woman to be ranked No. 1 in the WTA doubles rankings, has won three women’s doubles and three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles in her illustrious career. She also represented India in four Olympic Games and won several medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

She is widely regarded as one of the most influential and highest-paid athletes in India, has also been honored with the Padma Shri, the Arjuna Award, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for her achievements in tennis.