I can't say I was too surprised at how well West Indies batted for the better part of the day after being sent in on a pitch that had more than its fair share of grass. As Wavell Hinds remarked at the end of the day's play, the guys knew that they had a lot of work to do, knew that it was going to be difficult early on. It was all about occupying the crease, playing in the V and working hard. The Indian bowlers helped too by struggling to make optimum use of a good pitch. But give credit where it's due because Hinds showed today that he is a very good player. He has been in and out of the West Indies team, but those that saw his maiden century against Pakistan (Barbados, 2000) recognised that he was a quality performer. He went to England after that and had a poor tour, though he wasn't helped by some very ordinary umpiring decisions. He didn't play in Sri Lanka either, having missed the early part of the tour through injury, but he has made the most of the chance given to him in this series. I wouldn't say he's a specialist opener, but he's certainly good enough to open the batting or play anywhere in the middle order.

Batting with Hinds has also enabled Chris Gayle to play with more fluency. Apart from being team-mates for Jamaica, they are very good friends. They enjoy each other's company and that's hugely important. No matter what job you're doing, you tend to do it just that little bit better in the company of someone you enjoy working with. They also have an excellent understanding in the middle that allows them to run singles that wouldn't be possible with other opening partnerships.

The day ended poorly for West Indies because Hinds gave his wicket away. When something like that happens, you always find that the fielding team gets a fresh infusion of life. India had been floundering all day, but that wicket gave them the impetus to grab two more before stumps. Lara's struggles continued and Ramnaresh Sarwan was clearly unhappy about the decision he got, though TV replays proved inconclusive.

India could well rue dropping Carl Hooper. You don't give good batsmen chances but the Indians have been generosity itself with Hooper throughout the series. They could well live to regret that, though the game is evenly poised with India having a fairly new ball to bowl with tomorrow.

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 Dileep Premachandran.

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