After wilting in 98.5 overs at Rajkot, the Windies finally showed they had the stomach for a fight.
Spearheading the riposte was Roston Chase, who scored his second successive half-century, and is two shy of what will be a morale-boosting hundred when play resumes on the second day of the second Test between India and Windies.
Head coach Stuart Law showered praise on the all-rounder but cautioned that 'his job wasn't over yet.'
"He (Chase) had a couple of hundreds against India in the Caribbean and he obviously likes to play against their type of bowling.
"He has a good temperament. And when he does get going, he's a fantastic player to watch. That said, he needs to come back tomorrow (Saturday) morning and finish the job," Law said at the end of first day's play on Friday.
READ: Chase, Windies find the will to fight, at last
Asked about the mood in the dressing room, when his side was reeling at 113/5, Law revealed: "You're never happy when you are five down for 113. Kieran Powell batted beautifully at the start, and Shai Hope played really well for his 36. These two guys are a lot better than what they are producing right now.
"Look, it's not about preparation but about execution under pressure. We understand that it's tough work but we didn't want to shy away from it either. We wanted to stand up and make a statement. Chase, [Shane] Dowrich and [Jason] Holder showed that fight and quality to get us up to a reasonable day in the end."
The Australian attributed Chase's effectiveness against spin to his height and temperament. "He (Chase) has got a long reach, he uses that to his advantage," Law said. "He's a clean striker of the ball. He understands spin, and it's probably his strong suit. The best thing about him is that he likes to fight. He's lucky he plays spin naturally well."
READ: ‘It was a flat wicket with no swing’
While Holder made a comeback, experienced seamer Kemar Roach was left out of the squad. Law informed that Roach's exclusion had nothing to do with injury.
"He's fully fit. It's just the way the selection rolled. We had a robust discussion, the captain, chairman of selectors and I, and we went with the final XI we played today.
"We were lucky we won the toss today (Friday) and batted, especially with an extra spinner there. We will look to control the game.
"Ideally, we would like to get to 350-400 and then if Holder, with his pace and swing, and Shannon Gabriel, with his express speed, can chip away at a few early wickets, we could expose India's middle-order and put them under pressure."
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