What is the inspiration behind Mohammed Siraj's celebration after picking the final wicket of the ENG vs IND test series?

Mohammed Siraj was adjudged Player of the Match for taking nine wickets in The Oval test.

Mohammed Siraj produced a wonderful performance in The Oval test to help India win the game by six runs and draw the series 2-2. The right-arm pacer clinched a five-wicket haul in second innings of The Oval test after taking four wickets earlier in the first innings.

England had a massive target of 374 runs in The Oval test, which looked easy for them to get at one stage when Joe Root and Harry Brook combined for a huge partnership. However, after that, they collapsed and were in need of 35 more runs with five wickets in hand on day 5. Siraj then took three out of four wickets to restrict the hosts at 367/10 and capture a narrow victory for India.

With 23 wickets across five games at an average of 32.43, Siraj ended as the highest wicket-taker of the series. Moreover, the 31-year-old also showed wonderful fitness throughout the series and played in every game. The ENG vs IND test series ended in a 2-2 draw.

What is the inspiration behind Mohammed Siraj’s wicket celebration?

Siraj dismissed Gus Atkinson on first delivery of the 86th over to complete the win for India on day 5 of The Oval test. After castling Atkinson with a yorker, Mohammed Siraj jumped in the air and celebrated his wicket, which he got inspired from football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. Siraj often celebrates his wickets doing the “SIUU,” which is a celebration made famous by Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a chat with the International Cricket Council (ICC), Siraj had once revealed that he does the “SIUU,” only when he dismisses batsmen ‘bowled.’

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The plan was to hit a consistent spot: Mohammed Siraj

During the post-match presentation, Siraj said that he focused on hitting a consistent spot while bowling. He also noted that if he had not dropped Harry Brook’s catch, India would’ve won the match on day 4 itself. Siraj crossed the boundary after taking Brook’s catch on day 4.

“To be honest, it feels amazing. From Day 1, everyone fought hard and the result is there to see. Very happy. The plan was to keep it simple and hit a consistent spot. Not try too much and if I can get wickets from there, it’s a bonus and builds pressure,” he said.

“When I woke up today I had the belief that I could do it, I had the belief system. I took a photo from Google, which read ‘I can do it’ and put it as my wallpaper. If I had taken that (Brook) catch properly we probably may not have had to come today. It was a game-changing moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill and Harry Brook won Player of the Match awards in the ENG vs IND test series. Gill finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with 754 runs, hammering four centuries across nine innings.

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