New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar's record 35th Test hundred helped India to a dominant position at the end of the first day's play in the second Test at Delhi.
With lights fading Tendulkar turned a short delivery from Chaminda Vaas to backward square leg, took off for a single and punched the air with delight.
Play was called off soon after as India finished on a dominant 245 for 3 with Tendulkar not out on 100 and Sourav Ganguly unbeaten on 39 runs.
Earlier Gautam Gambhir and captain Rahul Dravid opened the Indian innings after Dravid decided to take the first strike on winning the toss in the second Test match against the Lankans at Delhi.
Gamhir was out LBW in the first over of the day and the early morning moisture was exploited by the Lankan fast bowlers to make life a little difficult for the batsmen.
India made a cautious start to reach 68 for two at lunch on the opening day.
Skipper Rahul Dravid led from the front by opening the innings, despite an illness, in the absence of Virender Sehwag, who was down with a throat infection.
It was only the fifth match Dravid was opening the innings, the last time being four years ago at Bloemfontein on the tour of South Africa, incidentally when Sehwag made his debut.
The winter moisture provided some swing for Vaas and Dilhara Fernando used the thick spread of grass in the middle of the track to get some bounce.
With the start delayed by half an hour as the ground staff swept the outfield dew, the batsmen had only the early phase of new ball to see through for a comfortable outing.
Dravid brought the first boundary of the innings with a straight drive to long off while Laxman's first boundary was an inside edge to third man fence, both off Vaas.
But Laxman soon showed his class with two elegant fours off Vaas two overs later. A square cut in the next over of the same bowler pointed to the batsman's top form but he was out for 69 runs when in sight for a well deserved century.
Dravid swept Muralitharan for a four to fine leg but then succumbed to wily off spinner with an inside edge to forward short leg.
In the first Test in Chennai, India got out to their lowest Test score against Sri Lanka to be all out for 167 in the only innings they batted.
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