India v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rajkot | Sehwag and Tendulkar dazzle

India started quietly on a well-grassed pitch, but once the acceleration came, Kumar Sangakkara's decision to bowl first looked foolish as Virender Sehwag clattered a 66-ball hundred, while adding 153 with Sachin Tendulkar at nearly eight runs an over. Dilhara Fernando provided some respite with a beautiful delivery that nipped back to bowl Tendulkar, but by then India were over the hill and far away. Sehwag's blitz included a six on to the roof of the shamiana behind cover, while Tendulkar eased to 69 from just 63 balls.

There was some early movement for both Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welegedara, making his one-day debut, and the openers didn't take too many chances. Sehwag twice drove Kulasekara through cover, and there was a lovely back-foot push from Tendulkar as just 19 came from the first five overs. Suddenly, though, the game exploded into life, with Sehwag taking Welegedara for three fours in an over.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka were all over the place, with Tendulkar timing the ball magnificently in the V and Sehwag moving into six-hitting mode. Kulasekara, with his lack of pace, was the ideal target, clouted over cover and then pulled over midwicket with an ease that must have sent a chill down Sangakkara's spine.

Another emphatic pull off Welegedera took him to 50 from just 34 balls and he then spent some time at the non-striker's end watching Tendulkar do his thing. After two glorious lofts down the ground, Tendulkar opted for the impudent, upper-cutting Fernando over gully and slip to reach his own half-century from 48 balls. After overs 6-10 produced 52 runs, the bowling Powerplay cost Sri Lanka 36.

But worse was to follow. Angelo Mathews was introduced, and Sehwag immediately went downtown, thumping one behind the sightscreen and then over cover as the six balls cost 18. Tendulkar joined in with an imperious straight loft off Jayasuriya and it needed Fernando to give the Sri Lankans some breathing space.

Sehwag though doesn't like pauses, and after a brief lull when only singles were taken, he whacked a short one from Jayasuriya over midwicket for six. Two fours off the hapless Mathews later, he had his 12th century, and with half the innings to go, Sri Lanka faced the dire prospect of chasing more than 350. MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to No.3, rubbed it in with a six off Jayasuriya that nearly went out of the ground.

V Sehwag	c Dilshan b Welegedara	146	102	17	6	143.13
	35.3 Sehwag has missed the 150, moves across the stumps, looks to go over the leg side, but turns the bat face too early, gets the back of the bat, and it lobs to point. Many milestones missed, but does he care much for them? Well played Viru. He raises his bat as he walks off 309/2
	SR Tendulkar	b Fernando	69	63	10	1	109.52
	19.3 bowled him, Tendulkar has been bowled through the gate. Looks to run to third man a back-of-a-length delivery, but it jags back enough to beat the bat and take the top of off. Well bowled Dilhara, follows up two attempts at yorkers with a nice fast delivery short of length and cutting in 153/1
	MS Dhoni*†	c Mathews b Fernando	72	53	7	3	135.84
	36.1 slower ball does it again, and the batting Powerplay has done it again for the fielding side. This slower delivery seemed fairly obvious from behind, but that;s not the case when you are batting, and Dhoni is drawn into a forward shot and is too late in taking the bottom hand off, the ball lobs to cover, and Sri Lanka now have a chance to save many records from falling 311/3
	SK Raina	c Jayasuriya b Kulasekara	16	20	2	0	80.00
	42.1 a bouncer gets Raina again, well directed, into his body, chest high, Raina's weight is forward while pulling, and gets a top edge that goes nowhere but straight up towards the sky 347/5
	G Gambhir	c †Sangakkara b Kulasekara	11	8	1	0	137.50
	38.3 and he comes back with a good delivery, just inches short of being a yorker, outside off, Gambhir looks to get it fine of third man, and edges it through to Sanga and walks 325/4
	Harbhajan Singh	not out	10	10	1	0	100.00
	V Kohli	not out	0	0	0	0	-
	Extras	(b 4, lb 4, w 10, nb 6)	24
	Total	(5 wickets; 42.2 overs)	348	(8.22 runs per over)

To bat RA Jadeja, P Kumar, Z Khan, A Nehra