Rahul Dravid didn't think that his tenth Test century was his best yet, but it came close. Dravid raised his game when the match hung in balance. "I've been playing international cricket now for five years so I think the time comes the senior members have to put up their hands and be counted. That was something that was crossing my mind right through." At 275 for 7, with every specialist batsman bar Dravid back in the hutch, India seemed unsure of reaching 302 and saving the follow-on. The blow he had copped on his jaw off Mervyn Dillon's bowling had only made the situation harder. "I was a bit jaded initially but the physio came in and said `you should be okay.' It was throbbing a bit, but I took a few painkillers and had to bat on because at that point of time, with me and Laxman the last recognised pair left, it wouldn't have been right to leave the field. I thought I would see it through till the follow on, but by then things had cleared up and I was batting quite fluently so I kept going."

Dravid was valiant, but his partner for the eighth wicket, Sarandeep Singh was crucial too. Together they put on 120, and Dravid credited Sarandeep's obduracy. "I knew at that stage we couldn't afford to lose a wicket and all credit to Sarandeep. He showed a lot of character. He showed a lot of courage and he showed a lot of discipline as well."

It means that India have now almost ensured a draw. "There is still a lot of work to be done to be frank, but I have to say that we'll have to play really badly from here to lose. Hopefully, after tomorrow, we can go into the next four games with all to play for."

Dravid now has one hundred and four fifties in six Tests in the West Indies. "I enjoy touring the Caribbean, I love the atmosphere here and I love the conditions. It's a great place to play cricket. Along with India, it's one of the places where you really feel the passion for the game, so from that point of view I've really been keen and keyed up for this tour for a long time."

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com India. His reports will appear here throughout the Test series.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd