Ganga: It Was Time to Consolidate

On the low and slow nature of the pitch:

The ball is not coming through, the track is not bouncing that well. There is some inconsistency in terms of the bounce, it's a grafting wicket so it's very important that you be patient, it's very important that you play the balls as late as possible.

It's tough going, I think the Pakistani bowlers bowled good lines, good lengths and they set straight fields and it was very difficult to beat those fields especially with a slow outfield and a slow wicket.

On what was the plan after the quick loss of wickets at the top of the order:

It was a time to consolidate, it was a time to get as much partnerships as possible. Myself and Shiv (Chanderpaul) had a decent partnership and when Runako (Morton) came we were trying to get a partnership going but unfortunately he got out. It's very important hat we concentrate on getting as close as possible to 304 and as we reach there, go beyond.

On whether this was his best Test innings:

Not exactly, I think in terms of concentration and in terms of application, I think yes. I knew from the start that it was a wicket where you need to have some sort of patience and it has definitely paid off for me.

On how the Windies will approach the rest of the Test match:

It's very important that we understand that this is the second day of the Test match, there are three other days to go so this innings is going to be very critical. If we can avoid Pakistan leading us going into bowling at them the second time round I think it would be in our favour.

It's very important that we stick it out out there, it's very important that we accumulate as much runs as possible so that we bring the game back into an even contest. The wicket is going to deteriorate, it's going to get tougher and tougher to bat out there so the longer you spend there and the more application and the more concentration you put out there I'm sure it's going to pay dividends in terms of runs.

On whether slow, low pitches are good for Test cricket:

It's not a sporting wicket, it's not a wicket where both teams have a fair advantage in terms of batsmen and in terms of bowlers. It's a very slow track, it's a very docile track, it's one where you can't really play much shots on it. The first day was the best part of the wicket, it's slowly deteriorating but this is test cricket and whatever is thrown at you, you need to deal with it and try and come out on top.

On whether it is refreshing to bat on a pitch which challenges the batsmen:

If you look at most of the great players and if you look at the players of the past they were able to deal with all conditions. This is just a test of your character, this is a test of your skill as a batsman and I'm enjoying batting out there, I'm enjoying building partnerships, I'm enjoying the challenge out there. This is going to be an experience for me and I'm sure it's going to put me in good stead later on.

On getting Pakistan captain Inzamam Ul Haq as his first Test wicket:

It was a great joy for me to get a big scalp as Inzamam. I'll never forget that. I haven't really been doing much bowling but it has opened my eyes. I am definitely going to take this as a positive and work a little bit more on my bowling because when you get tracks like these it is very important that you turn to your different options that you've got and I want to be one of those options for my captain.