The West Indies finished day two at 107 for one.
"When we got together we were in quite a bit of trouble and it was one of those wickets where you are not in any time. There was a good chance that you might be nicked off or you might get a good ball any time. It was very difficult to score," Ashwin said after the day's play.
"The thing is that they did get some momentum, I believe, from the Jamaica Test, but that's how Test cricket is like. We didn't come over here thinking or expecting to roll them over. They're also a Test team, and in their home conditions, it's going to be hard and we expected it."
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"In hindsight, later on this could very well be a series-defining knock because we were in some trouble yesterday and there was every chance that we could be skittled out. I thought it needed a bit of application. It was not like making a hundred back home or anywhere in the world.
"I'm sure about that because it was definitely not a wicket where you could just plonk your front foot and play through the line. It was a hard-fought day yesterday and it was no different today. We just hope we can capitalise on the rear guard action later tomorrow," he said.
(REOPENS FGN 7)
Afterwards the West Indies responded with patience as opener Kraigg Brathwaite got to his half-century. But the hosts were still 246 runs behind with three days to go in the Test even as the pitch seemed to have eased out a bit.
"There is definite help in the wicket. You have got to be patient, I guess. Long partnerships came in, one breakthrough and somebody gets into a spell. That's what we're looking at.
"If we can extract the same amount of control then tomorrow, you never know if it could be the first or second session, but I'm definitely sure that we will get the rewards for what we showed today," Ashwin signed off.