West Indies captain Brian Lara and India's Rahul Dravid were left searching for superlatives following the dramatic drawn first Test in St Johns, Antigua on Tuesday.
The hosts, who needed 392 to win, finished on 298 for nine with their last pair of Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore at the wicket.
The match seemed headed for stalemate when West Indies reached tea on the fifth day on 158 for three, but India applied pressure relentlessly to take six wickets in the last session.
"It was a great Test match, it ebbed and flowed for three days," Lara told reporters.
"It edged away from us on the fourth and fifth days, but I must commend the guys for showing a lot of character.
"I must also commend India for the way they fought after the first-innings deficit."
India were bowled out for 241 in their first innings and West Indies replied with 371. The visitors declared their second innings 521 for six.
The match featured Lara's final Test innings at the ground where he posted world record scores of 375 and 400 not out against England but the left-hander lasted just seven balls before he was trapped leg before wicket by seamer S Sreesanth for a duck.
"These things happen, you've got to take the good with the bad," Lara said.
"Today was an unfortunate day for me, but at the end of the day we were given a lifeline going into the rest of the series.
"This ground has served me well, but it has also served West Indies cricket well, today especially."
Indian captain Dravid was also starry-eyed about the way the match unfolded.
"It was a great Test match, a fantastic Test match," Dravid told reporters.
"We had our backs to the wall with three days to go, but the boys showed a lot of character to come back."
Dravid did not betray any disappointment that his team had been unable to force the win.
"The wicket didn't deteriorate as badly as you would expect a fifth-day wicket to," Dravid said.
"We had a great effort to be in the position that we were in at the end of the day."
The second Test in the four-match series starts in St Lucia on Saturday.
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