Sania waits for Fed Cup all-clear

‘‘Even if I get the all-clear, I will see how the ankle holds up before I decide to play. I don’t want to put any unnecessary stress before it heals completely,’’ Sania said.

What if the team in-charge decides to play her? ‘‘Well, if the doctor gives the clearance, and Rico (non-playing captain Enrico Piperno) feels I can hit the ball as hard as I do, I guess I will play,’’ she said.

But Piperno isn’t ready for a decision. ‘‘Her ankle isn’t swollen anymore, so if the doctor says ok, then why not?’’ he said.

Indeed, Sania may be India’s trump card but there’s no doubt that Piperno hasn’t put all his hopes on any one player. ‘‘Rushmi (Chakravarthy) is our most experienced player against the Asian girls, she is very important,’’ he said.

‘‘I have a good team, I will play my best girls, no favourites,’’ he added. India’s next best bet after Sania, Shikha Uberoi, had her day off from practice.

A whole new ball game for the tennis ace at Kotla

Amid the hard preparatory work for the Fed Cup, Sania Mirza took time off for her second-favourite sport. She made a quiet entry to the Kotla today and stayed for about a couple of hours, moving out before the assembled media could question her.

‘‘I love watching the game, and I was there as just an average fan,’’ she told The Indian Express. ‘‘I am still Sania Mirza, and not a tennis star or something, and I love doing some things just the way I used to couple of years back. Watching cricket is one of thos things.’’ Asked about her favourite cricketers, Sania said: ‘‘Sachin Tendulkar. He’s just amazing, there can be no one like him,’’ she added, and was disappointed with her hero’s failure today.

In the Pakistan team? No favourites though Shahid Afridi has impressed her. ‘‘But I like Wasim And Shoaib, and both of them are not here, so there can be no comparisions’’ she said.