Calcutta: Ravichandran Ashwin's century on Wednesday made him only the fourth all-rounder ever to score two hundreds and take as many five-fors in the same Test series.
According to Ashwin, his promotion up the order has brought about a change of approach with the bat.
Speaking after the end of play on Day II of the third Test in Gros Islet, Ashwin said: "It's difficult to try and think too far ahead batting at No. 6. That's possible if you are batting at No. 7 or 8.
"When I have batted at No. 8, you think like a bowler at times and want to get a few extra runs. So, I used to play a few more shots.
"Thankfully, I had a very good preparation one month before the series. I batted quite a lot and devised a game plan if I had to bat at No. 6. The idea was to knock as many balls as possible.
"My goal is very simple. If I get a good start, then I'm going to capitalise on it. Thereafter, I'm going to play percentage cricket. It's all about trying to play the percentages and string together a partnership without looking too far ahead in the game.
"One thing I try to do is bat sessions. There have been times when I've scored hundreds in two sessions or less than two sessions. But this is different and I do enjoy it.
"It's time-consuming and can affect the concentration, but it's enjoyable. So, this altering approach at No. 6 certainly helped me."
Talking about his partnership with the other centurion Wriddhiman Saha, Ashwin said he knew what to expect from the 'keeper-batsman, having played with him and watched him in first-class cricket.
"I think Wriddhi and I have batted together a few times in the past. "Even in Sydney, we put together a gritty partnership.
"The thing with him is that he puts a price on his wicket and is a damn good player of spin bowling. He can launch the spinners over the top with ease, something that I know from having played first-class cricket with him.
"See, I know Wriddhi pretty well and our communication was also about sticking around rather than just looking for avenues to score.
"It was just that even if we played a couple of maiden overs, we wanted to tell each other that we need to keep going," Ashwin said.
"When we got together, we were in quite a bit of trouble and one of us getting dismissed at that stage could have spelt further trouble. It was very difficult to score then.
"So, we bit the bullet and wanted to just stick around even if the runs weren't quite coming. Obviously, the results came later on.
"Wriddhi expressed himself this morning and played quite a few shots. To me, it was very important that I hung around because that sort of solidity was very important.
"We knew we were about 50-60 runs away from any kind of respectability, so my game plan was very simple. It was a good partnership and both of us enjoyed each other's company."
Meanwhile, thunderstorm and incessant rain washed out the third day's play without a ball being bowled. Thanks to the weather, the entire outfield was rendered completely soggy even as the lone supersopper was at work.
India head coach Anil Kumble and the support staff arrived to assess the situation. The West Indies team also turned up, as the second inspection was held at 2 pm local time (11.30 pm IST). Play will begin half an hour earlier on the fourth day.
Ashwin believes his 118 - also his longest Test innings - could go on to be a series-defining effort. "It's indeed a special hundred because if we look at the scenario in hindsight later on, this could very well be a series-defining knock because we were in some trouble on Tuesday and there was every chance that we could be skittled out. So, I thought some application was needed then."
