India, July 16 -- During his 30-ball vigil in the middle at Lord's on Day 5 of the third Test against England, Mohammed Siraj did not play one shot in anger. He was gutsy, patient and mentally strong enough to carry on fighting for India's cause despite getting hit on the left shoulder by a nasty Jofra Archer bouncer. It was tragic from India's point of view that his innings ended not because of a poor shot or an unplayable delivery but because of the ball trickling back onto the stumps due to the Lord's slope even after he had played the perfect defensive push from the middle of his bat.

Siraj came out to bat when India still needed 46 runs with just one wicket in hand. He and Ravindra Jadeja added 23 more runs to the total, making Indi...