Gambhir, Sehwag script India's run-glut

Amlan Chakraborty

Kanpur, Nov 24 (PTI) Gautam Gambhir (167) and Virender
Sehwag (131) were the architects of India's unrelenting
dominance as the hosts batted themselves into a position from
where they can dictate terms in the second cricket Test
againsr Sri Lanka here on Tuesday.

The near-capacity Green Park witnessed a lop-sided
opening day, completely dominated by the Indian batsmen and
their blazing blades as the hosts cruised to a mammoth 417 for
two and threatened to raise a run-mountain under which they
can bury their opponents.

Arguably the most evolved batsman of recent times,
Gambhir first starred in a blistering 233-run partnership with
Sehwag in just 41.2 overs before forging another 137-run
association with Rahul Dravid (85 not out). India's
unyielding grip over all three sessions had the islanders
totally at sea.

Right from Mahendra Singh Dhoni winning the toss, India
hardly put a foot wrong Tuesday. Sehwag and Gambhir milked 131
runs in the 26-over morning session without being separated.
The Sri Lankans did manage to cut short Sehwag's explosive
stay in the second session but they bled 176 runs in that
33-over segment as India consolidated their position.

India did not take the foot off the pedal, adding another
110 runs in the final session losing just one wicket to
consolidate their position.

Dropped on zero, Sehwag earlier slammed an insouciant
122-ball 131, bejewelled with 18 delectable boundaries and two
effortless sixes. In contrast, Gambhir's was a chanceless
215-ball knock, studded with 15 boundaries.

Dravid's unbeaten 85 came off 153 balls and had eight
fours in it.

At stumps, Tendulkar (20) was giving company to Dravid
who remains in sight of his 28th century.

This was the highest Indian score on any one day of a
Test match, bettering the 386 runs they had scored on day
three of the Chennai Test against South Africa last year. It
was, however, way behind the 494 for six that Australia had
registered against South Africa on the opening day of the 1910
Sydney Test.

Dhoni did not fancy batting in the fourth innings,
especially when world's highest wicket-taker Muttiah
Muralitharan lurks in the rival camp. Besides, Dhoni predicted
before the Test, batting would get easier if his batsmen can
see through the early morning session when the ball tends to
misbehave.

And his openers did just that.

Sehwag was shaky initially and survived one spilt sitter
and three vociferous LBW appeals in the first hour itself.
Even when he connected, it was not the usual musical note of
his willow but a jarring thud that revealed his struggle to
find the meat of the bat.

For Sri Lanka, 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.

Ill at ease against Welegedara, Sehwag found Angelo
Mathews less hostile and two fours off the all-rounder's sixth
over came as welcome relief. Sehwag did an encore of the
treatment in Mathews' next over - a copybook straight drive
followed by a carbon copy of the original.

Gambhir at the other end was his composed self,
immaculate in defence and controlled in his aggression. His
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.

Gambhir charged out to the first ball Herath sent down,
driving it through extra cover and hit two more fours before
Sangakkara took off Herath and tossed the ball to Ajantha
Mendis instead.

By then, Sehwag had found his feet and Gambhir's
insouciance had rubbed off on him and a Mendis full toss was
summarily dispatched over deep mid-wicket ropes fort the first
six. Mendis bled 42 runs in his first five-over spell as the
mystery around his magic finger lay in tatters.

In the post-lunch session, Sehwag went berserk and the
Lankans simply had no clue how to stem the 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.

Finally, Sri Lanka 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 and
with Dravid joining him to consolidate India's position, it
was a day largely spent on the leatherhunt for the Lankans.

Gambhir looked set for his second double century when an
airbone Muralitharan caught his drive off his own bowling to
send him back.

Dravid and Tendulkar, a whopping 51,000 international
runs between them, were hardly troubled by the Lankan bowlers,
who were sapped after a hard day's toil. PTI AY
SDE
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