Dravid and Dhoni dump Sri Lanka hopes

Ahmedabad: Rahul Dravid and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit centuries Monday as India came back, hard to Sri Lanka in the first cricket test to
stretch to 385-6.
Dravid batted almost the entire first day to finish unbeaten on 177 while Dhoni has a wonderful 110 before he was three overs before stumps.
The elegant right-handed Dravid, also known as `` Muur''vir his temperament, to complete 11,000 runs in test matches and hit 26 boundaries and a straight six in a 251-ball knock.
It was a remarkable turnaround by Dravid and Dhoni after paceman Chanaka Welegedara's three-strikes had to leave the home team reeling at 32-4 in the first hour.
Dravid featured in two productive partnerships that gave India an early initiative in the three-test series. He added 224 runs for the sixth wicket with Dhoni before Dhamika Prasad, the Indian skipper caught behind just before closing. Dhoni hit 10 boundaries and a six in his first test century at the house and faced 159 deliveries.
Dravid first raised the turn with a 125-run stand with Yuvraj Singh (68), and then featured in a double-century stand with his captain.
Previously, Welegedara caused major concerns for the hosts with his opening burst of three wickets, including Sachin Tendulkar, for four, after Dhoni won the shoot and elected to bat.
The 28-year-old swing bowler clean bowled Gautam Gambhir with the total at 14 and then had two wickets in the sixth over. He Virender Sehwag (16) lbw with a ball that pitched on middle obtuse and then bowled Tendulkar (4) between the bat and the pad had.
Tendulkar, celebrating its 20th anniversary in test cricket, lasted only three deliveries.
VVS Laxman Prasad had bowled without scoring in the seventh over to have India reeling at 32 for four. That brought Dravid and Yuvraj together and both batsmen attacked the Sri Lankan bowlers.
The gamble paid off because they have a lovely border on both sides of the wicket beaten into a strong partnership and kept the scoring rate well over four runs an over.
Muttiah Muralitharan finally broke the threatening Yuvraj when he was lured with a flighted slow delivery and offer a tame catch to Tillakaratne Dilshan in the deck.
Yuvraj hit 13 boundaries in his 93-ball innings before his concentration lapsed.
Dravid - ignored for the ODI series against Australia - pumped his fist in the air when he finished 27th Test century with a single off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath soon after tea.
Dhoni raised his hundred when he came down the wicket to Herath's flighted delivery and drove past the fielder at covers for his ninth boundary of the innings.
Welegedara, playing only his second Test match and the first time in nearly two years, was the choice of Sri Lankan bowlers with 3-75.