Fact Check: Indian tennis player Sania Mirza did not marry cricketer Mohammed Shami

Social media went into a frenzy when former Indian tennis player Sania Mirza separated from her husband, Shoaib Malik, last year. In recent months, Sania Mirza has frequently been in the spotlight regarding her personal life. There were rumors that she is planning to marry Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami, who is currently separated from his wife, Hasin Jahan.

Users of different social media shared their wedding pictures with the caption: “Ni'ka'ah's pictures viral”.

Fact Check: We found the claim is false. The picture circulating on the internet claiming that Sania Mirza and Mohammed Shami are married is edited.

During the reverse image search, we found Sania Mirza's wedding album on the India Today website. The photo was originally from Sania Mirza's wedding with cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010. However, Malik's photo was replaced with that of Shami in the fake photo, which has gone viral on social media. 

When we searched the keyword "Sania Mirza wedding with Shoaib Malik," we found an article published by NDTV. In the article, Sania Mirza's father, Imran Mirza, stated, "There is no truth to the wedding rumours. This is all rubbish. She has not even met him."

On further investigation, we found on June 21, 2024, Hindustan Times published an article stating, "The rumors stemmed from a fabricated picture shared on Facebook on June 12 this year. The photo, originally from Sania and Shoaib’s wedding in April 2010, depicts the tennis legend in red wedding attire with Shami’s face digitally placed over Shoaib’s face."

When we checked Sania Mirza's social media handles, we found no posts related to these rumors. Her most recent post mentioned that she was blessed with the incredible opportunity to embark on the journey of Hajj.

Times of India also published an article on it, Sania Mirza and Sana Khan accompanying their families to the Hajj. In the article, TOI also published photographs of Sania Mirza with her sister Anam and father Imran.

Popular digital publisher RVCJ Media also shared on their social media that it’s a rumor.

Hence, we found the claim to be false. The viral image is fabricated. Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami and popular tennis player Sania Mirza did not get married.