Opener Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed 16 runs short of a possible century as India made 179 for 3 at tea in the first Test match against the West Indies in Antigua yesterday.
The left-hander curbed his natural aggression in compiling 84 before he was adjudged leg before wicket to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo after India won the toss and elected to bat on a slow wicket at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Skipper Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 65 with the aid of eight fours  after the visitors had lost Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara for 7 and 16, respectively.
At Lunch India were 72 for one.
Famed for his unrestrained attacking instincts in all forms of the game, Dhawan displayed admirable restraint against bowling that lacked any real pace and potency, with the notable exception of Shannon Gabriel. He hit nine fours and one six in his knock.
With skipper Kohli choosing to bat first on a surface devoid of any consistent pace and bounce to really threaten the batsmen, Gabriel still caused alarms for the Indian opening pair.
His raw pace removed Murali Vijay for just seven after half-an-hour’s play when the right-hander fended at a lifting delivery for Kraigg Brathwaite to take the catch at the second attempt at second slip.
Cheteshwar Pujara looked untroubled on joining Dhawan at the crease with the pair putting on 58 runs for the second wicket by the lunch interval, but on resumption he became Bishoo’s first victim, holing out to Brathwaite for 14.
Having opted to go into the match without uncapped fast-medium bowler Miguel Cummins, the only other pace threat available in the West Indies pre-match squad of 13, it was left to captain Jason Holder, fellow medium-pacer Carlos Brathwaite and debutant Roston Chase to do the bulk of the work in support of Gabriel.
Chase, the 24-year-old Barbadian who earned selection on the basis of a consistent domestic season with the bat, delivered eight overs of uncomplicated off-spin.
Particularly surprising was him being used ahead of the lone frontline spinner in the side, Bishoo.
While the West Indies have packed their side with batting, India opted for a bowling attack comprising three pacers and two spinners, omitting Ravindra Jadeja in preference for Amit Mishra to work in tandem with Ravichandran Ashwin as specialist slow bowlers.
 West Indies have not defeated India in Test cricket for 14 years since the end of the 2002 series in the Caribbean and are the decided underdogs for the first meeting with these opponents on home soil for five years.