IND vs WI: Mohammed Siraj unfurls Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'Siuu' celebration after sending back Shai Hope

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj once again gave a glimpse of his inner Cristiano Ronaldo against West Indies during the series-opening ODI in Ahmedabad by emulating the footballer’s iconic “Siuu” celebration. Siraj was dispatched for consecutive boundaries by Shai Hope in the third over of the West Indies innings after India skipper Rohit Sharma decided to chase upon winning the toss, but had the last laugh as he ended up dismissing him for 8.

“It looks a good pitch and might be slightly better to bat under lights. Happy to be back – playing for the country is the priority. I haven’t played cricket for a couple of months but these things happen when you play all the time. Obviously, a historic day in Indian cricket, playing the 1000th ODI. It’s been a long journey and we’ve had ups and downs,” Rohit, who made his comeback after being ruled out of the South Africa tour, said at the toss.

Meanwhile, sent to the boundary cushions twice after overpitching the ball, Siraj tricked Hope on the third delivery as it jagged back into him and shattered the stumps after taking an inside edge of his bat. Elated after the successful implementation of his ploy, Siraj unfurled Ronaldo’s trademark Siuu celebration, which the Portugal footballer uses to celebrate after hitting goals. Notably, he shouts “Si”, which means “yes” in Spanish.

Mohammed Siraj leads the pace attack against West Indies

Siraj led the pace attack in the opening ODI as senior pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have both been rested for the series. For the opening encounter, India slotted in Prasidh Krishna as the other designated pacer alongside all-rounder Shardul Thakur, while spinner Washington Sundar, who has been out of international action ever since March 2021, returned to the team.

Deepak Hooda, who is one amongst the three members to earn their maiden international call-up in the series, was handed his debut cap. However, neither Shahrukh Khan nor Ravi Bishnoi, the other two potential debutants in the Indian camp, could find a place in Sunday’s XI.

India placed themselves into the driving seat soon after putting West Indies in, with Yuzvendra Chahal pegging the visitors back with a double-wicket over that marked the end of both Nicholas Pooran and skipper Kieron Pollard, who bagged a golden duck. Before that, Chahal had already sent back Shamarh Brooks cheaply to spin a web around West Indies after Sundar bagged two quick wickets on comeback.