India cruising in Kanpur

Sehwag and Gambhir put Sri Lanka to the sword on day one

By Joe Drabble   Last updated: 4th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

India cruising in Kanpur

Sehwag and Gambhir cashed in with hundreds on day one

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Second Test Match
Kanpur
India 417-2 (G Gambhir 167, V Sehwag 131, R Dravid 85 no) v Sri Lanka

India openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir both struck telling centuries as Sri Lanka toiled on day one of the second Test in Kanpur.

The home side reached stumps on 417-2, with Rahul Dravid (85 not out) also closing in on a century on another extremely flat surface in the sub-continent.

Muttiah Muralitharan provided the only moments of cheer for Sri Lanka, the veteran spinner dismissing both Sehwag (131) and Gambhir (167), however his 18 overs yielded 100 runs as India progressed at an alarming rate.

As soon as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, Sri Lanka may have feared a long day in the field, and that proved the case as the bowlers toiled on another pristine batting surface.

Hammered

Over 1,500 runs were scored in the first drawn Test in Ahmedabad, but talk ahead of this Test was of a more "bowler-friendly" pitch in Kanpur.

Sehwag and Gambhir quickly dispelled those rumours with a scintillating 233-run partnership for the first wicket inside 42 overs.

With chances few and far between, Sri Lanka, and more specifically Mahela Jayawardene, were left to rue a gilt-edged chance to remove Sehwag when he was dropped at first slip when on nought.

There was no looking back for the explosive opener as he and Gambhir powered to lunch on 131-0 after just 26 overs.

Little changed after the interval, Sehwag easing to his 16th Test century off just 97 deliveries by turning Muralitharan for a boundary to fine-leg.

India sped past the 200 mark when Sehwag hammered Muralitharan for three consecutive boundaries in an over, and runs continued to flow at a breathtaking pace before Murali found the breakthrough.

The leading Test match wicket-taker of all time deceived Sehwag in the flight and he could only fizz his drive into the hands of Tillakaratne Dilshan at extra cover.

Superb catch

Gambhir, who was on 98 at the fall of the wicket, brought up his eighth Test hundred in style shortly after, skipping down the track and dispatching Rangana Herath to the mid-off fence.

Remarkably, Gambhir has now scored seven of his eight centuries in the last nine Test matches.

He was, however, denied his second ever double-century when a diving Muralitharan held a superb return catch in the final session.

Rahul Dravid was already well on his way at this point and reached his half-century - his 58th in Tests - by sweeping Muralitharan for a single.

Sri Lanka took the second new ball with four overs of a forgettable day remaining, but Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar (20no) played cautiously to reach stumps unbeaten.