There was really nothing Sourav Ganguly could have done today. One could perhaps comment about his bringing Sachin Tendulkar on so late, but I really don't believe he did much wrong. The pitch was a batsman's paradise, and Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were batting so fluently that there was little the Indians could have done. It is difficult to be upbeat in such circumstances, but the Indians stuck to their task, and tried their best. One can't really take much away from them. In the 28 Tests played on this ground, 53 centuries have been scored, and only 19 five-wicket hauls have been achieved. That says it all about the conditions.

Carl Hooper has averaged over 50 since he returned to Test cricket, as captain of West Indies. I believe the responsibilty of captaincy has helped his batting enormously. He has made 1000 runs in his 13 matches as captain, while his previous 80 matches saw him knock up 4000 runs. Perhaps the criticism he faced after his return to the team has made him all the more determined to go out there and prove a point.

Chanderpaul's century was a significant one. He has always had trouble converting his starts into big ones, and his application today was terrific. Even on the most helpful of pitches, you still have to go out there and make the runs, and this will hopefully be a turning point in his career.

I expect West Indies to bat a bit more tomorrow morning before they declare. They would certainly want to get past 500 - it is an important psychological landmark, and a total of 500 is always more intimidating to the opposition that one of 499. Hooper will probably tell his men to go out there and rattle up some quick runs, bat for half-an-hour or so, reach a score of 510 or thereabouts, and then have a crack at the Indians.

Lastly, I was disappointed with Deep Dasgupta's keeping. He's obviously in the team more for his batting than his keeping, but I think the wicketkeeper's role is too crucial to justify such an approach. His primary job should be to keep wicket efficiently, and not to bat. I would rather have a wicketkeeper score five runs while batting but grab all his chances and keep well, than see someone make 40 with the bat but drop a few chances. Look how costly his first dropped catch turned out to be: Hooper had yet to open his account - he went on to make 233.

Michael Holding, a key member of the West Indies pace quartet of the 1970s and '80s, will be contributing the Wisden Verdict for all the Tests in this series. He was talking to Amit Varma.

More Michael Holding
Day 1: Can't blame Sourav

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