Determined Dravid clobbers ton to rescue India

Ahmedabad: Rahul Dravid notched up his 27th Test century immediately after tea as India continued their recovery act from the pre-lunch collapse in the first Test against Sri Lanka here on Monday.

Dravid, who stood rock-like in his inimitable fashion, was unbeaten on 98 as India reached 221 for five at tea, having faced 54 overs after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chose to bat first in the morning.

The hosts, who were tottering at 32 for four before recovering to 105 without further loss in the first session, added 116 runs in 29 overs between lunch and tea for the loss of Yuvraj Singh's wicket in the post-lunch period.

Yuvraj, not out 35 at lunch, added 33 more with some aggressive batting before becoming wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's first victim in the match.

Yuvraj and Dravid, who brought the Indian innings on an even keel after the home team was rocked in the first half hour by rookie left-arm pacer Chanaka Welegedara, put on 125 runs for the fifth wicket in only 129 balls and under three hours.

Dravid, who remained unconquered at the tea break after batting for 223 minutes and facing 157 balls, and Dhoni (29 in 48 balls), ensured that the home team did not lose any more wicket while putting on an unfinished half century stand worth 64 runs.

Dravid, playing each ball on merit and uncorking splendid clips off toes and drives to covers and to the on-side, and a belligerent-looking Yuvraj, carried on from the lunch-time score of 105 for four when the second session of play began.

The duo looked comfortable against the double pace attack employed by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.

Dravid started off aggressively by crunching Dhammika Prasad for three fours, the first of which being a superb on-drive that helped him to his 58th half century in 74 balls with five fours and a six in it.

The 36-year-old Bangalore stalwart, who was playing in his 135th Test, played second fiddle as his partner Yuvraj went on the offensive after the duo raised their century partnership in quick time (109 minutes) and off 146 balls.

His fifth wicket partner, the left-handed Yuvraj steered Angelo Mathews behind point for his ninth four to complete his seventh fifty in 29th match in only 77 balls.

Yuvraj, who played superb drives but also edged a few balls short and wide of the slip cordon, was hit on the shoulder by a short ball from Dhammika Prasad, but responded with a four then fell in the next over of Muralitharan.

He stepped out of the crease to the wily off-spinner and, finding himself in no man's land, chose to defend only for the ball to pop up high to give a dolly catch to Tillekaratne Dilshan at short covers.

Dravid and skipper Dhoni, who stepped into the breach when the score read 157 for five, were unseparated at tea.

Chanaka Welegedara, playing in only his second Test spread over two years, led the Lankan assault on the much-vaunted Indian 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 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 Gautam Gambhir (1), Virender Sehwag (16) and champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar (4), whose celebrations as he stepped into his 21st year in the international game were rudely halted by the superb bowling.

Right arm pacer Dammika Prasad, playing in only his fourth Test, struck another blow from the other end to send back V V S Laxman for a duck that left India punch-drunk at 32 for four before Dravid and Yuvraj stemmed the rot.