India, Aug. 13 -- In an age dominated by analytics, tactics, and high-performance science, the Indian cricket team found strength in an age-old devotional chant during their dramatic series-levelling win over England at The Oval. The Shri Shiva Rudrashtakam Stuti echoed in the Indian dressing room in all five days of the series finale.

With the five-match series on the line and India trailing 1-2, pressure was at its peak. A victory was the only way to draw the series. But when the top order crumbled early in the first innings, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul back in the pavilion at just 38 for 2, the mood in the dressing room dipped.

That's when Raghavendra, the team's veteran throwdown specialist, known as Raghu, decided to take a ...