'Heartbreaking finish but proud of the fight': Jadeja, Siraj hailed for fighting spirit after India's heartbreak at Lord's

Mohammed Siraj was distraught with himself as the ball rolled on to the leg stump and dislodged the bail ever so slightly after he defended a delivery from Shoaib Bashir, bringing a thrilling final day of the third Test at Lord's to an end. At the other end of the pitch, Ravindra Jadeja was left unbeaten on 61 off 181 deliveries, producing what would go down as one of the finest knocks of his career, if not the greatest, only for it to go in vain.

India were staring at a certain defeat, having been reduced to 82/7 in the morning session after resuming from their overnight score of 58/4 in their chase of the 193-run target set by England. Jadeja, however, refused to give up and rallied with the rest of the batting order – all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj – to get the visitors within touching distance of the target.

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In the end, India fell just 23 short of what would have been their third victory in four Tests at the 'Home of Cricket'. And it was the unluckiest of dismissals that brought Jadeja and Co's spirited resistance to an end.

Experts and fans hail India's fighting spirit at Lord's

Several former cricketers as well as experts and fans, however, urged Jadeja, Siraj and the rest of the Indian team to chin up and hold their heads high for the manner in which they fought back from a near hopeless situation.

Here are some of the reactions to India's heroic fightback at Lord's:

England lead the five-Test series 2-1 with their thrilling victory at Lord's, having previously won the series opener at Headingley by five wickets before suffering a 336-run defeat at Headingley.

India, meanwhile, will be hoping to level the series with a game to spare in the fourth Test at Manchester's Old Trafford that gets underway next week on 23 July.