ENG vs IND 2025: Indian Cricket Team's official Instagram handle tags fake account of Mohammed Siraj, edits it later

Indian Team's social media team tags wrong Siraj on Instagram

The Indian cricket team’s official Instagram handle, which has a massive 37.3 million followers, mistakenly tagged a fake Mohammed Siraj account in a celebratory post after India’s dramatic six-run win over England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval. 

The post was intended to honour Siraj’s heroic nine-wicket match haul that earned him the Player of the Match award, but instead, it initially linked to a similarly named account with just 491 followers and a bio that described the user as a musician.

The social media team was quick to rectify the mistake and tag the correct handle of the pacer, @mohammedsirajofficial, which has over 12 million followers. Meanwhile, the error was noticed by fans, with some even visiting the wrongly tagged profile, leaving congratulatory comments for the musician-turned-accidental cricket celebrity for a day.

The caption of the Indian team's special, which was later edited post read. "For his relentless bowling display and scalping nine wickets, Mohd. Siraj bags the Player of the Match award in the 5th Test 👏👏 #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @mohammedsirajofficial."

Siraj's heroics hand India thrilling win

Despite the technical glitch, Siraj’s performance earned him praise from various corners. His bowling on the final morning of the Oval Test, where England needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand, gave India a winning chance, which looked impossible at one point. Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, and finally Gus Atkinson with a yorker to seal India’s narrowest-ever Test win and his fifth five-wicket haul.

Mohammed Siraj puts up Ronaldo wallpaper on his phone

The fifth Test not only saw India level the series 2-2, but also showed Siraj’s fightback and growth as India’s bowling spearhead. Notably, he bounced back from a costly mistake the previous day, when he stepped on the boundary to gift Harry Brook six runs. His five-wicket haul ensured India defended 374 runs thrillingly.

Siraj, a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, revealed during the post-match press conference that he had set a motivational picture of the football legend with the word “BELIEVE” as his phone wallpaper before the final day. Siraj finished as the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets in the series.