Mohammed Siraj finds inspiration in Cristiano Ronaldo, keeps footballer's photo as phone wallpaper

London: When Mohammed Siraj woke up on Monday morning he knew he had to lead from the front if India were to complete a sensational come-from-behind win in the fifth and final Test. With lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah missing the series finale as part of workload management, Siraj had to shepherd the bulk of responsibilities. To accomplish that, Siraj searched for inspiration.

He googled for wallpapers that could motivate and the one that struck a chord was an image of Cristiano Ronaldo with his index finger pointing up at the word ‘Believe’. Siraj, who is a self-confessed fan of the Portuguese great and even celebrates his wickets like the striker does after scoring a goal, downloaded the image instantly. He kept looking at it constantly until reaching the ground, reminding himself to ‘believe’ he could help script a famous win for India.

That immense self-belief, which has turned Siraj from being the son of an auto rickshaw driver to one of the most talked about fast bowlers in the world today, was visible on a riveting Monday morning at The Oval. Despite having played all the matches of the series and his body battered and bruised, Siraj gave it his all in one final thrust that was spellbinding to watch. 

Every ball he delivered in 4.1 overs he bowled on the morning had a wicket written on it. Batter after batter struggled to make contact with his out-swingers. And when it swung in, they struggled to handle its pace and sharp inwards trajectory. Siraj was in his zone and, for a change, was rewarded with three wickets, taking his match tally to 5/104. As a just reward for his performance that brought India back from the dead when Harry Brook and Joe Root were going great guns on the fourth evening, he was adjudged the Player of the Match. 

“For a professional player, belief is very important. Nothing can happen without belief. Usually I wake up at 8 in the morning but today I got up at 6. I started googling for images on belief and I found this,” said a delighted Siraj flashing his phone with the Ronaldo wallpaper at the post-match press conference. “I immediately downloaded it as a wallpaper. As I said belief is important. ”

Yes, that immense belief in one’s own abilities is what has made Siraj into a powerhouse performer for India over the last few years. While the entire spotlight has been on the peerless Jasprit Bumrah, the tireless Siraj has toiled hard away from the spotlight without making a song and dance about his workload. Since the start of India’s home season last year against Bangladesh in September, Siraj has missed just one of 15 matches — simply incredible for a fast bowler.

At the Border-Gavaskar Trophy he bowled 157.1 overs in five games for 20 wickets while in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy he upped his workload even more, dishing out 185.3 overs for 23 wickets, stepping up brilliantly whenever Bumrah, whom he affectionally calls ‘Jassi bhai’, hasn’t made himself available. When asked where he gets his energy from even when rewards don’t come his way, the passionate Siraj said playing for the country is his biggest adrenaline.

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“I have put in a lot of effort to be where I am right now. I don’t wish bad for anyone. I always with a positive mindset. From 1.4 billion Indians, I’m privileged enough to be playing Test cricket for my country. That’s my driving force. When I perform and India wins, the whole of India feels happy. Everyone likes success. But behind the scenes there are a lot of people who work very hard. When you don’t have success, people will talk about your failures. It’s part of a cricketer’s life. The most important thing is what the team thinks of you and what you can do for the team. I always believe in my bowling and I believe in myself.”

With another mesmerising series, Siraj has made everyone believe he can lead the Indian fast bowling attack in the absence of main man Bumrah. 

Mohammed Siraj wallpaper. X

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