Centurions Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir starred in a record 233-run stand to lay the foundation for an imposing total as India cruised to 307 for one at tea on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Centurions Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir starred in a record 233-run stand to lay the foundation for an imposing total as India cruised to 307 for one at tea on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
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Dropped on zero, Sehwag went on to punish the Sri Lankans with an insouciant 122-ball 131, bejewelled with 18 delectable boundaries and two effortless sixes.
Everything went right for Mahendra Singh Dhoni right from the toss on Tuesday. The Indian captain won the toss and opted to bat first, hoping the openers would see through the early morning hour before batting becomes easy. And the openers did not let him down either.
Sehwag was shaky initially but once he found his feet, the Sri Lankan bowlers couldn't stem the flow of runs. At the other end, Gambhir's impregnable defence and his controlled aggression made life difficult for the bowlers.
Things could have been different had Mahela Jayawardene, at first slip, been able to latch on to the edge that flew off Sehwag's blade after Chanaka Welegedara had sent down the fourth ball of the match.
Jayawardene, however, can blame stumper Prasanna Jayawardene for making that unnecessary dive that blocked his view. And the islanders were made to pay for the clanger till the 42nd over.
In the post-lunch session, the first ball Sehwag faced from Welegedara crossed the ropes and that was a bad omen for the visitors, who simply had no clue how to stem that boundary flow.
Sehwag raced to his 16th Test century in no time and the celebration came in the form of a hat-trick of fours off Muralitharan as the Delhi dasher's strike rate soared over the 100 mark.
In the process, the Sehwag-Gambhir pair also bettered their previous highest partnership of 218 that came at the same venue against South Africa in 2004.
Sri Lanka finally heaved a sigh of relief in the 42nd over when Sehwag's uppish drive found Tillakaratne Dilshan at extra cover and Muralitharan snapped the blooming partnership that yielded 233 runs and the run rate was a brisk 5.63.
An undeterred Gambhir straight drove Herath for a scorching boundary to complete his eighth Test century.
Sehwag struggled in the morning session to find the meat of the bat. But once he hit Angelo Mathews for two fours in the same over, he found his bearing and the early gingerliness paved way for the irreverent willow-wielding he is famous for.
At the other end, Gambhir was his composed self. The left-hander's first two fours came behind the wicket before he cover drove Welegedara for a delectable four. And when Sri Lanka captain pressed Rangana Herath into attack, Gambhir ensured the left-arm spinner was withdrawn at the earliest.
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