Lord Jaddu! Team India hail MVP Jadeja for valiant effort in third Test

England's thrilling 22-run win at Lord's overshadowed a valiant effort by India's Ravindra Jadeja. But his teammates have not forgotten the importance of the left-hander's unbeaten 61 off 181 balls that so nearly delivered victory for India in the third Test.

"That was an incredible fight. The fight from Jaddu was absolutely brilliant," said Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir in a video titled 'The MVP ft. Ravindra Jadeja', posted on the BCCI website on Friday.

India chased a modest 193, but lost eight wickets inside 40 overs. Jadeja came in at No 7 and remained resolute, forging partnerships with tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who together survived 84 balls.

"He is one of the most valuable players of India," said India captain Shubman Gill. "The skillset he brings with his batting, bowling and fielding. He is someone who is very rare to find. The way Jaddu bhai batted was a very proud effort. The character and the courage they showed were tremendous," said Gill at a post-match press conference.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Jadeja's batting has reached another level. "In the last two Tests, the consistency and the calmness he brought to the dressing room. I've watched him for so many years and how he's developed his game now, his defence is rock solid, looks like a proper batter," said Doeschate.

India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said Jadeja has the ability to soak up pressure. "With so much of experience, he normally comes with something that the team needs in any challenging conditions. Really, really valuable to the team," Kotak said.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj said it was not easy to replace a player like Jadeja. "It's very difficult to get a player like him and we are lucky to have such a player in our team," Siraj said. India will hope to level the series when they play the fourth Test at Manchester starting July 23.