AHMEDABAD, Nov 16 (PTI): Rahul Dravid and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni cracked sparkling centuries as India staged a remarkable recovery after a dramatic top-order collapse on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka here today.
Dravid produced a gritty unbeaten 177 and found an able ally in captain Dhoni (110) as the duo pulled the team out of the pits and steered India to a commanding 385 for six at close on an eventful opening day.
Tottering at 32 for four in the eighth over following a triple strike by rookie left arm pacer Chanaka Welegedara, India were hoisted up by Dravid’s 27th ton and his three figure partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, for the fifth and sixth wickets.
The Indians, despite the early jolts, scored at a brisk pace right through the day but fell just one run short of the record first day total made by India, 386 against South Africa at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in 2007-08.
The hallmark of Dravid’s innings, his second hundred against the visitors, was his shot selection and the ability to stay put when the Lankans were on top in the morning. He slowly and surely upped the tempo before playing splendid drives, flicks, square cuts and pull shots.
After being rocked by the cheap dismissals of openers Gautam Gambhir (1), Virender Sehwag (16), Sachin Tendulkar (4), entering his 21st year in international cricket, and V V S Laxman (0), it needed a determined and ever-so-steady Dravid to stem the rot and he did it with aplomb.
The fifth wicket stand between Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, that spanned either side of the luncheon interval and was worth 125 runs in 129 balls, put the shaky innings on an even keel after India had opted to bat first on winning the toss.
After the departure of Yuvraj (68), who played a typically aggressive knock with 13 fours, Dravid forged forces with Dhoni to first consolidate the innings further and then take it to a higher plane with a 224-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Dravid, in scoring his second hundred at this venue, also moved past former Australia skipper Steve Waugh to stand fifth in the all-time list of run-getters in Test cricket. The Indian middle-order mainstay stood fifth in the queue at the end of the day after passing the 11,000-run mark just before stumps when on 177.
The day began in disastrous fashion for India, barring the winning of the toss by Dhoni, as they were done in by some good swing bowling chiefly by Welegedara, playing in only his second Test, and careless batting.
Welegedara led the Lanka assault on the much-vaunted India batting line-up and dismissed the top three batsmen in a fiery opening spell to leave the hosts struggling at 31 for three.
Swinging the ball in late, the 28-year-old Lankan struck three big blows, including two in four balls, to bring down the home team on its knees and raise visions of a repeat of the last Test here when India were bowled out by South Africa for 76 in 20 overs in the opening session in April, 2008.
Welegedera’s first spell read a splendid 7-2-28-3 and his victims were openers Gambhir, Sehwag (16) and champion batsman Tendulkar, whose celebrations as he stepped into his 21st year in the international game were rudely halted by the superb bowling.
Dravid produced a gritty unbeaten 177 and found an able ally in captain Dhoni (110) as the duo pulled the team out of the pits and steered India to a commanding 385 for six at close on an eventful opening day.
Tottering at 32 for four in the eighth over following a triple strike by rookie left arm pacer Chanaka Welegedara, India were hoisted up by Dravid’s 27th ton and his three figure partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, for the fifth and sixth wickets.
The Indians, despite the early jolts, scored at a brisk pace right through the day but fell just one run short of the record first day total made by India, 386 against South Africa at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in 2007-08.
The hallmark of Dravid’s innings, his second hundred against the visitors, was his shot selection and the ability to stay put when the Lankans were on top in the morning. He slowly and surely upped the tempo before playing splendid drives, flicks, square cuts and pull shots.
After being rocked by the cheap dismissals of openers Gautam Gambhir (1), Virender Sehwag (16), Sachin Tendulkar (4), entering his 21st year in international cricket, and V V S Laxman (0), it needed a determined and ever-so-steady Dravid to stem the rot and he did it with aplomb.
The fifth wicket stand between Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, that spanned either side of the luncheon interval and was worth 125 runs in 129 balls, put the shaky innings on an even keel after India had opted to bat first on winning the toss.
After the departure of Yuvraj (68), who played a typically aggressive knock with 13 fours, Dravid forged forces with Dhoni to first consolidate the innings further and then take it to a higher plane with a 224-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Dravid, in scoring his second hundred at this venue, also moved past former Australia skipper Steve Waugh to stand fifth in the all-time list of run-getters in Test cricket. The Indian middle-order mainstay stood fifth in the queue at the end of the day after passing the 11,000-run mark just before stumps when on 177.
The day began in disastrous fashion for India, barring the winning of the toss by Dhoni, as they were done in by some good swing bowling chiefly by Welegedara, playing in only his second Test, and careless batting.
Welegedara led the Lanka assault on the much-vaunted India batting line-up and dismissed the top three batsmen in a fiery opening spell to leave the hosts struggling at 31 for three.
Swinging the ball in late, the 28-year-old Lankan struck three big blows, including two in four balls, to bring down the home team on its knees and raise visions of a repeat of the last Test here when India were bowled out by South Africa for 76 in 20 overs in the opening session in April, 2008.
Welegedera’s first spell read a splendid 7-2-28-3 and his victims were openers Gambhir, Sehwag (16) and champion batsman Tendulkar, whose celebrations as he stepped into his 21st year in the international game were rudely halted by the superb bowling.
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