IND vs ENG, 5th Test: Mohammed Siraj reveals Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired secret behind fiery match-winning spell

One city, 5.2 miles of distance between two iconic grounds and 20 days is what it took for Mohammed Siraj's life to turn full circle in this back-breaking English tour. It was on July 14 that Siraj helplessly watched a Shoaib Bashir delivery seep down and hit his stumps at Lord's. He spent most time on his haunches as if Father Time had frozen for him. The normally ebullient man was quite heartbroken about allowing Ravindra Jadeja's incredible battle to be in vain and surrendering a lead against England.

The 'warrior' within him had earned a closure and cut to August 4, it arrived again with the familiar bang of timber, this time though, he was the one perturbing it to make sure India finished 2-2, draw evenly billed after a fightback for the ages. Gus Atkinson was the one in agony at the opposite end as he missed a fast and full delivery. Siraj, meanwhile, was flying, his cheeky humor intact.

Asked about his emotions after the final wicket, having gone through the heartbreak at Lord's, Siraj was typically unfiltered. "Actually DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) started asking questions in English so at that point all emotions went away," he said.

Call it coincidence but when he was stretching his body to its limits with an 80-over vintage Dukes ball playing tricks with the English batsmen's minds as well as willows, it was Jadeja, who had a few rousing words of advice for the 31-year-old workhorse.

"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 amount of hardships he faced. Do it for him)," Siraj said referring to the late anchor of his life.

Following 185.3 overs of Test match bowling and 23 wickets, with match-winning performances in games when there was no Jasprit Bumrah accompanying him, Siraj has made his own indelible mark.

"Body is fine...I don't care if it's the sixth over or the ninth over for me. I don't bowl for myself, it is for my country," he said. "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 then showed that wallpaper to the media. It had Cristiano Ronaldo and a single word that became his motive power -- 'Believe'. Despite no Bumrah present, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Telangana Police believed strongly that defeat was never an option. "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 JioHotstar.

Having troubled the English batsmen persistently, Siraj took 5/104 off 30.1 overs and nine wickets overall. "My only plan was to bowl in good areas. Didn't matter if I took wickets or went for runs," Siraj signed off.