Shaista Fatima/New Delhi

Festivals are enjoyed best when spent with loved ones and family. The same was Pakistan’s Cricket veteran Shoaib Malik's reaction when asked about his relationship with his Indian tennis player wife Sania Mirza.

Malik dismissed the rumours of separation from his wife while answering the queries in an interview with Yahya Husainni for Pakistan's Geo News in a show called Score on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr.

While the show covered many topics around Pakistan's cricket team and politics of the country from Malik's viewpoint, Husainni made sure to touch on the rumours surrounding his personal life as well, he said, "Miyan-Biwi Gaadi ke do pahiyye hote hain, tasveerein aur video aa re hain, jisme aap dono ikatteh nahi hain, Umrah pe bhi begum akele gayin aapki.." (Husband and Wife are the tyres of a two-wheeler, the recent videos and pictures don't see you both together, in fact, your wife went for Umrah on her own).

To this, Shoaib replied by saying that their busy schedules have made it difficult for them to spend time together, "It isn't easy to be married to someone from a different country, we both have commitments.".

- First Umrah 🕋 for Izhaan baba, love you beta ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zpk6Da2i93

— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) March 23, 2023

Though Malik also acknowledged that all marriages go through ups and downs. It is worth mentioning that there have been reports of a strained relationship and divorce rumours between Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza for the past six months, as they have not shared any pictures or videos together on social media for a considerable period of time.

Husainni started his show with the question "Khabre chal rahi hai, taluqat acche nahi hai (Rumours are going around that all's not well in the relationship). What do you want to say? Malik replied, "Nothing on it. It would have been better if we were together on Eid but she has got commitments in IPL and so do I. We share love like always. I miss her a lot, that I can say."

“My wife and son are away on Eid. I wish I could celebrate Eid with my wife and son", he added.

Malik reminisced about missing his mother and siblings during his cricket travels before marriage, and now, being married to someone from another country, he also misses his wife and son. 

Answering the rumours of Sania unfollowing him on social media he said, "Yeh mere liye news hain ki unhone mujhe unfollow kardiya hai" (This is news to me that she has unfollowed me on the social media platforms)

Sania and Shoaib tied the knot in 2010 and have one son together named Izhaan, who was born in 2018. When asked about his (Izhaan) inclination towards any sport Malik says, "He is too young to decide what he wishes to play, when he is with Sania he wishes to play tennis and when with me he likes to play cricket but when we together ask him he says badminton, so yea let's see." 

🏏Cricket + 🎾Tennis = 🏸Badminton 😉 pic.twitter.com/F4ZV9Vcdpk

— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) March 31, 2023

Sania retired from Tennis earlier this year with the 2023 Australian Open Mixed Doubles final being her final Grand Slam appearance before she quit the sport after the WTA Dubai Championships. She was appointed mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women's Team for the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) season earlier this year.