India pacer Mohammed Siraj won a lot of hearts on Friday when he paid an emotional tribute to Liverpool, Portugal footballer Diogo Jota, who passed away in a car accident. On Day 2 of the ongoing third Test between India and England, Siraj took two wickets and when he got his first dismissal in the form of Jamie Smith, Siraj made a hand sign saying "20", Jota's jersey number for Liverpool and looked up to the sky. This gesture went viral on social media and Siraj finally opened up about his celebration.
Siraj, who is widely popular for being a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, stated that he wanted to honour Jota by a celebration after taking a wicket.
"We got to know during the last match (in Birmingham) that Diogo Jota has died in an accident. Because I am a Portugal fan, and because CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) plays for that team, I felt emotional. I wanted to do it (pay my tribute) in the last match itself. I had spoken with Kuldeep (Yadav) that I want to make a gesture for Diogo Jota. Today (Friday) I have got a wicket so I made the gesture," Siraj said in a video on BCCI.
A heartfelt gesture!
Mohammed Siraj pays his tribute to the late Diogo Jota. pic.twitter.com/B59kmWG3TO
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 12, 2025
"Life is very unpredictable yaar, apan kis ke liye lad rahe, kis ke liye kar rahe par kal ka hi pata nahi hai, life ka kuch bharosa nahi hai. (Life is very unpredictable, dear friend. Who are we fighting for, who are we doing it for but we don't know what will happen tomorrow. There is nothing certain in life).
"I was shocked on how such a thing can happen, that too in a car accident. (Since) I got a wicket, so I thought as a gesture to Diogo Jota, Jersey No. 20, and this was the reason behind it," Siraj added.
Apart from Smith, Siraj also took the wicket of Brydon Carse for 56. Jasprit Bumrah stole the show with his five-wicket haul, which helped India bundle out England for 387.
Coming to Jota, he died in a car accident on July 3 in Spain at the age of 28. At the time of the accident, Jota was with his brother in the car, as reported by Sky Sports.
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