Mohammed Siraj honored late footballer Diogo Jota during the Lord’s Test by gesturing his jersey number 20 after a wicket. A devoted Portugal and Ronaldo fan, Siraj was shaken by the news of Jota’s tragic death after the previous match.
Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj opened up on his heartfelt tribute to late Liverpool star Diogo Jota, who passed away in a tragic car crash, on Day 2 of the third Test in the five-match series against England at Lord’s in London on Friday, July 11.
Mohammed Siraj stepped up for Team India after Jasprit Bumrah removed Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes on Day 2 of the ongoing Lord’s Test. The 31-year-old pacer toiled throughout Day 1 and the morning session on Day 2 before he was rewarded for his persistence with the ball by dismissing in-form Jamie Smith in the 107th over of England’s first innings batting.
However, Siraj did not celebrate Jamie’s wicket in Cristiano Ronaldo-style, but instead paid tribute to Diogo Jota. The pacer formed the number ‘20’ with his fingers, a nod to Jota’s Liverpool jersey number, and looked up to the sky in a heartfelt tribute to the late Portuguese football star.
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It was Mohammed Siraj’s first wicket of the match before getting his scalp by dismissing Brydon Carse for 56 to wrap up England’s innings at 387.
‘Life is very unpredictable’
Speaking about his heartfelt gesture to late Liverpool star Diogo Jota, Mohammed Siraj stated that he got to know about the Portuguese footballer’s demise while returning from the Edgbaston Test. The pacer reflected on the unpredictability of life after Jota’s untimely passing.
“When we were coming back from the last match, we got to know that Diogo Jota had died in an accident. 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 said in a video posted by BCCI on its X handle (formerly Twitter).
“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 added.
On July 3, he sporting world was left in shock upon hearing the news of the tragic death of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva. The incident took place on the A-52 highway in the province of Zamora. It was reported that the brothers were travelling in a Lamborghini, which skidded off the road and immediately caught fire, reportedly leaving them trapped inside the vehicle, which resulted in their tragic deaths.
It was believed that a blow to the tyre caused loss of control of the car, leading fatal crash and claiming the lives of Portuguese football brothers.
Liverpool to retire Diogo Jota’s jersey no. 20
As an honour to Diogo Jota, Liverpool have decided to retire his jersey number 20, which he wore during his five-year stint from 2021 until his death this year, across all levels, including men’s and women’s senior teams, and academy sides.
It is the first time in the club’s 133-year history that a player’s jersey number has been permanently retired as a mark of respect. Liverpool decided to retire Diogo Jota’s jersey number after consultation with his wife and other family members.
“The move is recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds' on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them,” the club said.
In 2020, Diogo Jota grabbed the attention of football fans with his high-profile move to Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he became a key player for £45 million. At Liverpool, Jota won his first Premier League title in the recently concluded season and was part of the team that finished as runners-up in the 2021-22 Champions League.