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Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj paid a touching tribute to late Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota during the Lord's Test against England. Siraj held up Jota’s jersey number '20' after taking a wicket, honoring the Portuguese star who tragically died in a car crash. England posted 387 in their first innings, led by Joe Root’s century. Jota, who recently won the Premier League with Liverpool, was a key player for Portugal and Liverpool before his untimely death.

Key Points: Siraj Honors Late Liverpool Star Diogo Jota During Lord's Test

  • Siraj dedicates wicket to late Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota
  • England posts 387/10 with Root scoring 104
  • Jota died in a car crash in Spain at 28
  • Jota won Premier League with Liverpool this season
2 min read

Siraj pays tribute to late footballer Diogo Jota during Lord's Test

Mohammed Siraj pays heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota with goal celebration after taking a wicket in England vs India Test at Lord's.

"After removing Jamie Smith, Siraj made a hand sign saying '20', Jota’s jersey number for Liverpool, and looked up to the sky. – Star Sports"

London, July 11

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj paid a tribute to late Liverpool, Portugal footballer Diogo Jota following a wicket during the third Test against England at Lord's on Friday.

During England's first innings, Siraj ended with a tally of 2/85 in 23.3 overs.

After removing an in-form Jamie Smith, Siraj made a hand sign saying "20", Jota's jersey number for Liverpool and looked up to the sky. The video of the same was posted on Star Sports' official X handle.

In their first innings, England posted 387/10, thanks to a 109-run third wicket stand between Joe Root (104 in 199 balls, with 10 fours) and Ollie Pope (44 in 104 balls, with four boundaries) and a counter-attacking eighth wicket stand between Jamie (51 in 56 balls, with six fours) and Brydon Carse (56 in 83 balls, with six fours and a six).

Jasprit Bumrah (5/74) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/62) also delivered with the ball.

Coming to Jota, he died in a car accident on July 3 in Spain at the age of 28. At the time of the accident, Jota was with his brother in the car, as reported by Sky Sports.

Jota began his football career in his hometown of Porto in Portugal, where he played for the Pacos de Ferreira academy before joining Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League in 2016. However, he never played for Atletico Madrid and later returned to Porto on loan. In 2018, the Portuguese player was signed by the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves, and for the next two years, he was under the fellow Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

In September 2020, Jota was signed by another Premier League club, Liverpool. With the Reds, he won this season's Premier League 2024-25 title. He was also part of the Liverpool squad that lost to Real Madrid 1-0 in the 2021/22 Champions League final, where he came on as a substitute. For Liverpool, the player featured in 26 games this season and scored six goals.

Jota made his debut for the Portugal national team in November 2019 and featured in the Euro 2022 and 2024 for his national side. However, he was not part of the squad during the FIFA World Cup 2022, as he was out injured. Recently, in May this year, Jota was part of the Portugal side which won the UEFA Nations League, defeating Spain in penalties and winning their second Nations League title.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As a Liverpool fan from Mumbai, this tribute made me emotional 😢 Jota was my favorite player. Thank you Siraj for honoring him at the Mecca of cricket. YNWA forever!
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Aryan P
While the gesture is nice, shouldn't our players focus more on the match? England scored 387 runs and we're celebrating a tribute? Priorities matter in Test cricket!
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Sarah B
This is why I love Indian cricketers - they have big hearts! Siraj showing respect to a footballer shows sports is about more than just competition. Class act!
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Karthik V
Jota's death was tragic news for all football lovers. As a Chelsea fan, I still appreciate this tribute from Siraj. Sports unite us beyond club rivalries. RIP Diogo 🙏
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Nisha Z
Beautiful moment at Lord's! Shows how Indian players are global citizens too. Hope Jota's family sees this and feels some comfort knowing he's remembered worldwide.

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