Mohammed Siraj‘s Gujarat Titans teammate Jos Buttler revealed the reason behind his Cristiano Ronaldo-style Siuuu celebration.“He’s putting in a Herculean effort,” Buttler told Stuart Broad on their podcast For the Love Of Cricket.
“I actually played with him at Gujarat, and I think one of the first wickets he got was caught somewhere. I was waiting for the Cristiano celebration. He said, ‘Oh no, no, I only do it when I bowl someone out.’“So that was the perfect finish for him—to hit the stumps and be able to unfurl his celebration,” Buttler added.Siraj had previously revealed the inspiration behind the celebration.“I only do the Cristiano Ronaldo celebration when I clean bowl someone—not for a catch or LBW. I do it because I like and admire him for his work ethic, the routine he follows, and the way he performs consistently. He always has a never-give-up attitude. Obviously, Ronaldo is the best—GOAT of all time,” Siraj had said earlier.
England, set 374 to win, lost a nail-biting encounter by just six runs, with Siraj returning innings figures of 5/104 as India ended a rollercoaster campaign level at 2-2. The hosts resumed on Monday’s final day at 339/6, needing just 35 more runs for a win that would have secured a 3-1 series victory.But they had no answer to the enduring skill of fast bowler Siraj, who featured in all five games. He undid England on Monday with a brilliant burst of 3 for 9 in 25 balls, sealing the win by knocking over Gus Atkinson’s off-stump.“From the first day until the fifth Test, fifth day, we fought an unbelievable fight,” said Siraj, who bowled a marathon 185.3 overs during the series.“God must have written something good for me, that’s why I won this match and took the last wicket.“When I woke up today, I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google that said ‘believe’.”The 31-year-old was named Player of the Match after an overall return of 9 for 190.
