Dravid steals Tendulkar limelight

First Test, Ahmedabad, day one (close): India 385-6 v Sri Lanka
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**India legend Sachin Tendulkar was overshadowed on day one of his 20th anniversary Test as Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni stole the show.**Tendulkar, who made his Test debut on 15 November 1989, made only four in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad.

Dravid ended the day unbeaten on 177, becoming the fifth-highest run scorer in Test history in the process.

And Dhoni contributed 110 as the hosts recovered from 32-4 to post 385-6.

Left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara grabbed three wickets in his first four overs and Dammika Prasad also chipped in as Sri Lanka did their best to spoil Tendulkar’s party.

The 36-year-old was at the crease sooner than he would have expected as Welegedara, working up a tidy pace, bowled Gautam Gambhir in his second over and trapped Virender Sehwag leg-before in his fourth to reduce India to 27-2.

Tendulkar, the all-time leading run scorer in both Test and one-day history, smashed the first ball he faced to the cover boundary, but fell two deliveries later when he was bowled by a jubilant Welegedara.

Prasad uprooted VVS Laxman’s off stump six balls after that to increase India’s woes but Dravid then took control, compiling his 27th Test century in the process.

Dravid, nicknamed the ‘Wall’ for his solidity and technical excellence, hit 26 boundaries and a six in an unusually aggressive innings.

When he reached 105, the 36-year-old surpassed former Australian captain Steve Waugh’s tally of 10,927 runs to become the fifth highest run scorer in Test history, behind Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Allan Border.

606: DEBATE
Dravid is ABSOLUTE class. I have the urmost respect for him. He will never get the same recognition as Sachin which is a great pity

IiUK

Captain Dhoni played the supporting role during a sixth-wicket stand of 224 after left-hander Yuvraj Singh (68) had begun the rescue act by adding 125 for the fifth wicket with Dravid.

Dhoni fell to the second new ball shortly before the close, caught behind off Prasad, leaving Harbhajan Singh to keep Dravid company at stumps on two.

Welegedara gave away just 28 runs in his opening spell of seven overs, but finished the day with figures of 3-75 off 17 overs.