England left just alive against Ravindra Jadeja's sheathed sword in India's Lord's heartbreak  

Not much gets better than Day 5 at Lord's when it comes to Test cricket, a rightly perceived shrine to preserve traditionalism in confusing times. Only a month ago, the Home of Cricket witnessed South Africa's coronation as champions, but the same turf turned into a graveyard of dreams for India. Somewhere along the line, dominance and hope swapped positions as Shubman Gill and co. missed a historic win by 23 runs after an inspiring bowling performance by England in the third Test of the series,

A second successive win at the venue, a third in their last four visits, seemed too good to be true, but as the Test progressed, the notion that it was absurd, slowly dissipated. In fact, India would have taken a 193-run target with pleasure at the start of the match, but desire and execution are two completely different things.

The bowlers did their job, bolstered by a spell out of nowhere from Washington Sudnar on Day 4 to put India in the driver's seat. WinViz branded India as favorites ahead of the fourth innings, so did the pundits, and all that was left for the players to walk the talk, especially after they did a lot of it on the field (and off it as well).

Even after Yashavi Jaiswal's early dismissal in the run chase, there was calmness (not many runs to get, nine wickets in hand). Nerves crept in after Karun Nair and Shubman Gill followed suit (Surely, the batting depth will rescue us, not to mention Rahul and Pant are in sublime form). Akash Deep's wicket at the end of the day by Ben Stokes was a scary premonition that was brought to reality the very next day.

Not much was expected from India once they were 82-7. Anything over 100 would have been a bonus to salvage their pride a bit. But in the end, not only did India slide pride out of the equation, but they also walked out with their heads held high. A 23-run loss, accompanied by a fightback for the ages, stretching the game into the final session, signifies great strength and resolve, but at the same time, none of those things help their series scoreline, from a results perspective.

Slide the ifs and buts aside to appreciate the growth of the team

Unlike a collective failure, India's loss had been put down to a handful of individual, selective moments. Whether it be KL Rahul's dropped catch off Jamie Smith in the first innings, the Rishabh Pant run out, or Karun Nair's leave late on Day 4, those are the events that have been quite heavily focused on.

Even skipper Shubman Gill admitted Rishabh Pant's run-out was a massive moment in the game. But, in a highly competitive fixture with hardly any room for error, it is so easy to get lost and be obsessed with certain moments that did not go right, and how the game could have been different.

Doing so in retrospect makes much more sense than at present, when the series is still alive and kicking, with silver linings all over the place.

Washington Sundar's selection was slammed, but he has responded with a four-fer. Ravindra Jadeja's credibility was questioned, but he has silenced the critics with his fourth consecutive fifty. The catching has largely improved, and so has the performance of the support bowlers. In another world, India would have already wrapped up the series by now, or have a lead at least, but they do not in actuality, and that is not the end of the world. The praise is not loud as the criticism, but in cricket, it rarely is.

Not one high-profile pundit picked India to win the series, a draw at best was predicted for India. Even among fans, not many gave India a chance amid talks of transition, an inexperienced squad, and so on. Yes, it is the series scoreline and the WTC Points that matter in the end, but to watch the young Indian brigade rattle and stretch a well-settled England unit in their own backyard is a sight to behold, even with the deficit. India won't have the comfort of 'moral victories', they would want a win in the traditional sense, and Lord's just showed, they are not a million miles away.

It is hard to be harsh on India after the kind of spirit they showed despite seemingly being completely out of the game on Day 5. Even before the fightback in question, it was the matter of two unplayable deliveries, one stunning catch, and a routine lapse in concentration, which is nothing we have not seen before. So, let the alarm bells rest for now, accept the imperfections, and be excited for the future, because that is the biggest takeaway from the contest.

Form is temporary, class is permanent, and Ravindra Jadeja is eternal

Ravindra Jadeja reached his fifty in the fourth innings on Day 5 of the Lord's Test with a streaky boundary, the last of his four, off Ben Stokes. Usually, a milestone involving the veteran is box office. Cameras are often ready for the famous sword celebrations, but the sword remained secure in the sheath on Day 5. He knew that the job was far from finished, and only responded with a reluctant raise of the bat to the applauding members in the stands.

Seven overs later, the same heavy hand was on his helmet in disbelief, and what followed was a warm embrace with Ben Stokes, and a quiet walk back along the slope to the Lord's long room and pavilion. It is a bizarre string of actions for someone who has an asterisk beside his score. Ravindra Jadeja, with his 61* (181), did not register his highest score, nor was it his most fluent knock, but it was by far his most defiant one.

All eyes were on him from the second session onwards as he emerged to be the last hurdle England needed to have their '60 overs of hell' moment. At one stage, it looked like even an extended first session would have been more than enough for Stokes and Archer to bowl them out.

But like Old Trafford 2019, Melbourne 2020, and many other countless gritty knocks, Jadeja established himself as the sole hurdle, challenging opponents to end it with him. Luckily for them, they had an alternative route with the tail-enders, otherwise, the vigil might have gone until Stumps.

Jadeja was focused and a man with a plan during India's fourth innings run chase on Day 5. All the veteran needed was support after England's burst in the first session left India tottering at 84-7, making the 193-run target look an impossible task. His quick running, calculative singles off the fourth balls, and the occasional boundary, kept India in the hunt, and England in doubt.

No matter how they tried, England could not get past him. There were no outside edges, no dropped catches, no mistimed strokes, just pure old-fashioned grit and tenaciousness, which was the unstoppable object up against the unstoppable force in Bazball. Jadeja had to endure Ben Stokes' probing long spells, living in constant fear of ball nipping off the pitch, the short ball barrages, but he was there, when others were not.

To end on the losing side is part and parcel of the sport, but to be forced on that side without having put a foot wrong is devastating. Jadeja has vindication as a silver lining, but that is something he would easily trade for a win.

Of all the players on the Indian side, the call for Ravindra Jadeja's head is often the first in times of crisis in recent times. Theoretically, amid transition and no shortage of spin bowling all-rounders in the country, he may well have joined the list of high-profile retirees, and leave the reins to the next generation. He has done so in T20I cricket anyway.

But instead of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jadeja has responded strongly by showing his value he brings to the side, especially in overseas conditions. He has this knack of turning up just when he feels his back hit the wall. Ahead of the Edgbaston Test, there was scrutiny regarding the value he provides to the side aside from his reputation, especially after his dreadful fourth innings bowling spell in Leeds.

Since then, in this current team combination, Jadeja has profited from having additional support in bowling and batting, not having to bat with the tail as such. In his last four innings, he has played 567 deliveries, getting out only twice.

The lesson here - Keep questioning Ravindra Jadeja, he is only too happy to prove you wrong. You'd think that after a point in time, the probing ceases, but less than 24 hours of his rock-solid innings, there is already moaning over the fact that he needed to play 'quicker'.

The scary part is that the same legion would have crucified him had he been dismissed while trying to up the ante. There's no way to win in this rigged battle of unanimously winning, but thankfully, Jadeja knows better after 16 years in international cricket.