India pacer Mohammed Siraj paid a heartfelt tribute to Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota following his wicket celebration during the ongoing third Test between India and England. After dismissing Jamie Smith for 50, Siraj held up his fingers to form the number ’20’ — a nod to Jota’s jersey number — as a mark of respect following the footballer’s tragic death in a car accident.
Jota, who played for Liverpool and the Portuguese national team, reportedly died in a shocking crash alongside his brother Andre Silva. The news of the 27-year-old’s death left fans and athletes around the world stunned.
Speaking in a video posted by the BCCI on social media, Siraj said he was deeply affected by the news and wanted to honour Jota, especially as a fan of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“When we were coming back from the last match, we got to know that Diogo Jota had died in an accident,” Siraj said. “As I am a Portugal fan, and he plays for CR7’s team, I felt emotional. I wanted to do it in the last match.”
Siraj went on to reflect on the fragility of life, saying: “Life is very unpredictable. For whom are we fighting? For whom are we doing this? There is no guarantee of tomorrow, so I was shocked something like this could happen.”
He revealed that he had discussed the tribute with teammate Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the match. “I told him I want to make a gesture for Diogo Jota. Today I got a wicket, so I did it. That was my tribute to him.”
India, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul, bowled England out before the close of play and will now look to build a first-innings lead as the match progresses. KL Rahul is already set after scoring his fifty, he will look to get some support from the other end to get the visitors back in front to secure a win at the Home of Cricket.
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