Dravid and Dhoni help India recover from dire straits

S S Ramaswamy
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
Monday.
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. More PTI