• Source:JND
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England vs India 5th Test: Mohammed Siraj is a huge fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, but what stunned everyone was the star pacer's revelation on how the legendary footballer inspired him ahead of the decisive final day of the fifth Test between India and England on Monday.

Siraj stepped up once again and picked up a match-winning five-for, also landing the final blow as India defeated England by 6 runs in the thrilling Oval Test. India achieved a positive result of a 2-2 draw in the series. The star pacer ended up being the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps to his name and was adjudged as the Player of the Match as well.

"I woke up in the morning and checked Google on my phone, and took out a 'Believe' emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country." He later showed that wallpaper to the media. It featured Cristiano Ronaldo and a solitary word that became his driving force -- 'Believe'.

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As he has done several times in his inspiring career, Siraj once again stepped up in the absence of senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj took three out of the remaining four wickets on the final day of the match. England needed just 35 runs to win, but they were bowled out for 367 runs while chasing the 374-run target as Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson.

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"I always believe that I can win the game from any point, and this morning was no different," Siraj told Dinesh Karthik in a post-match chat for Jio Hotstar.

Having consistently troubled the English batters, Siraj finished with 5 for 104 in 30.1 overs and a match haul of nine wickets. "My only plan was to bowl in good areas. Didn't matter if I took wickets or went for runs," Siraj said.

Siraj went on to mention that it was his teammate Ravindra Jadeja who had some inspiring words for him.
"Jaddu bhai ne bola, ki apne father ke barein mein soch aur kitna takleef unhone uthaya aur tujhe unke liye yeh karna (win) hai. (Think about your late father and the number of hardships he faced. Do it for him)," Siraj said, referring to the late anchor of his life.