Mohammed Siraj Honors Diogo Jota During Test Match Against England

In a touching moment during the third Test against England, Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj honored the late Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota after taking a wicket. Siraj's gesture, signaling Jota's jersey number, was a poignant tribute to the young athlete who tragically passed away in a car accident. The match saw England score 387 runs, with notable performances from Joe Root and Jasprit Bumrah. Jota's legacy in football, including his time at Liverpool and the Portuguese national team, is remembered as fans mourn his untimely loss. Read on for more details about this heartfelt tribute and the match highlights.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 12, 2025, 02:03 IST

A Heartfelt Tribute on the Cricket Field

During the third Test match against England at Lord's on July 11, Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj paid homage to the late Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota, who played for Liverpool, after taking a wicket.

In England's first innings, Siraj concluded with impressive figures of 2 wickets for 85 runs over 23.3 overs.

After dismissing the well-performing Jamie Smith, Siraj made a gesture indicating '20', which is Jota's jersey number, and looked skyward. This moment was captured and shared on the official X account of Star Sports.

England managed to score 387 runs before being bowled out, largely due to a significant partnership of 109 runs between Joe Root, who scored 104 runs off 199 balls, and Ollie Pope, who contributed 44 runs from 104 balls. Additionally, a strong eighth-wicket partnership between Jamie, who scored 51 runs off 56 balls, and Brydon Carse, who made 56 runs off 83 balls, helped boost the total.

Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler for India, taking 5 wickets for 74 runs, while Nitish Kumar Reddy supported with 2 wickets for 62 runs.

Diogo Jota tragically passed away in a car accident in Spain on July 3 at the young age of 28. At the time of the incident, he was traveling with his brother, as reported by various news outlets.

Jota's football journey began in Porto, Portugal, where he trained at the Pacos de Ferreira academy before moving to Atletico Madrid in 2016. However, he never played for Atletico and returned to Porto on loan. In 2018, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, where he played under manager Nuno Espirito Santo for two years.

In September 2020, Jota transferred to Liverpool, where he celebrated winning the Premier League title for the 2024-25 season. He was also part of the squad that reached the Champions League final in 2021/22, although they lost to Real Madrid. This season, he participated in 26 matches for Liverpool, scoring six goals.

Jota made his debut for the Portugal national team in November 2019 and played in both the Euro 2022 and Euro 2024 tournaments. Unfortunately, he missed the FIFA World Cup 2022 due to injury. Most recently, in May, he was instrumental in Portugal's victory in the UEFA Nations League, where they triumphed over Spain in a penalty shootout, securing their second title in this competition.