- 'We have to be patient. It's just the start of the series and there is a long way to go. Everybody has good and bad days, we just have to move forward as a team.'
West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo says the pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium is batting-friendly and bowlers need to be patient to get wickets.
Captain Virat Kohli's attacking unbeaten 143 enabled India post a healthy 302 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the opening Test in Antigua.
Bishoo emerged the most successful bowler for the hosts with figures of three for 108, but the rest of the bowlers struggled.
"I think this is a very good pitch. It's a batting pitch," Bishoo said, after the day's play.
"We, as bowlers, have to be patient as much as possible and take it one ball at a time. Day one pitches don't turn that much. On days three, four and, maybe, day five, it's going to turn more," the pint-sized leg-spinner added.
"We could have been in a better position probably. At the end of the day, it's a good pitch and the Indian batsmen kept relishing it. We just didn't put the ball in the areas as much, but we bowled well in patches.
"We just have to take it one over at a time and take it session by session. Put the ball in the right areas for as long as possible, and make it hard for them. At the end of it, we have to be patient," he added.
While he finished with three wickets, it was pacer Shannon Gabriel who bowled the best on day one, having openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in a spot of bother. He looked dangerous in every spell as he claimed one for 43 in 13 overs.
"I think Shannon bowled really good upfront today and he started off very well. He bowled with great pace. The rest of the bowlers, as I said, bowled well in patches. We need to be a bit more patient because the wicket is good," said Bishoo.
Asked if the West Indies missed a trick by picking only four bowlers plus debutant Roston Chase, he replied in the negative.
"No. At the end of day, whatever team we have to play with as a team, we have to play. We support each other and give our 100 percent. I'm not going to put anything on anybody. To play good cricket, bowlers have to do their job and batsmen have to do theirs."
Bishoo didn't speak much about Kohli's hundred, only outlining that the hosts can fight back in the days to come.
"It's not challenging (to bowl at him). At the end of the day, it's cricket. We have to be patient. It's just the start of the series and there is a long way to go. Everybody has good and bad days, we just have to move forward as a team," he said.
