VADODARA: It was a chilly morning in January 2007 when pacer Irfan Pathan was trying hard to prove his worth in a Ranji tie against Uttar Pradesh at the Reliance stadium in the city. He seemed a bit anxious and kept glancing at a pretty girl sitting near the boundary line.

The girl couldn't take her eyes off him and kept cheering each time Irfan hit a boundary on the last day of the match. An inspired Irfan hit 82 runs and helped his team win the match. But the big question here is: Did Irfan also find his match on that day? The girl, Shivangi Dev, had come all the way from Australia and is said to be the daughter of an Indian diplomat based in Canberra.

Tongues started wagging when Irfan was found missing as Team India was felicitated in New Delhi two days ago. BCCI officials said he had stayed back in Australia with permission of the board to attend to some personal matter. Sources now say he may have stayed back to spend some time with Shivangi.

Cricket fans in Vadodara had noticed a year ago that the two were quite cosy. She also left the stadium after the Ranji tie along with Yusuf, Irfan's elder brother, leading to some speculation.

Irfan's sister Shagufta, however, told TOI onSaturday, "Irfan has stayed back in Australia to visit one of our relatives who is ill. He will return to India in next few days."

Irfan's family members have approved his yet-to-be-scheduled marriage to Shivangi, a Canberra-based chartered accountant.    

The wedding ceremony would be held in Vadodara.

Shivangi is the daughter of Virendra Dev, a diplomat working with Indian High Commission in Australia.

The love birds met for the first time during India's tour of Australia in 2003.

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