Dravid sparks strong India recovery

India's Rahul Dravid goes to three figures shortly after tea. He went on to 177 not out, featuring 26 fours and one maximum

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Rahul Dravid fired a magnificent unbeaten 177 to advance India from the depths of 32 for four to a respectable 385 for six at the end of day one in Ahmedabad.

Dravid shared stands of 125 with Yuvraj Singh, who struck a powerful 68, and 224 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who fell for 110 shortly before stumps.

Sri Lanka began brightly when bowler Chanaka Welegedara claimed three wickets in his first four overs, but Dravid, Yuvraj and Dhoni feasted on the tourists’ inexperienced seamers while coping with their more seasoned spinners.

Early on, Dravid passed Steve Waugh to become the fifth highest Test run-scorer and soon after tea reached 11,000 Test runs.

He finished the day, which marked Sachin Tendulkar's 20th year in the international game, with 26 fours and a six to his name.

Welegedara, winning his second Test cap, exploited the moisture in the pitch in the morning by bowling Gautam Gambhir and Tendulkar either side of trapping Virender Sehwag lbw.

Dammika Prasad, who had shared the new ball with Welegedara, added to the destruction by bowling VVS Laxman via an inside edge as India crumbled.

But Dravid and Yuvraj pieced together their recovery. Although Yuvraj was watchful once master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was introduced, the runs flowed steadily.

Dravid even clubbed left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a rare six and reached his half-century from 79 deliveries.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was forced to do without frontline bowlers Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara through injury, and the inexperience of Prasad and Welegedara – the two had previously played only four Tests between them – gradually emerged.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni advances towards 110 during a sixth-wicket partnership of 224 with Dravid at Ahmedabad

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Muralitharan, who stuck to an unthreatening leg-side line throughout the day, ended the partnership in the afternoon.

Left-handed Yuvraj stepped down the track but only managed an inside edge which ballooned off his pad to Tillakaratne Dilshan at cover.

However, if Sri Lanka expected some respite thereafter it failed to transpire.

Dhoni quickly hit his stride, maintained the momentum and accelerated nicely in the final session to ensure his decision to bat first would not backfire.

He did survive a couple of scares, however. An edge just after he had reached his half-century flew between wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and Mahela Jayawardene at a nice height, and a good shout for lbw was turned down by umpire Tony Hill.

Sri Lanka took the second new ball with just eight overs remaining in the day, but Dhoni reached his second Test hundred with a boundary – his ninth – off Herath. Dravid by then had gone past 150.

Dhoni fell with just under three overs left, top-edging Prasad to Prasanna, but Dravid and Harbhajan Singh saw off the last few deliveries without further blemish.