Sachin-Gambhir India`s heroes in drawn Test

Tendulkar slammed a ton against Sri Lanka as his partnership with Laxman earned India a draw.

Vineet Sharma/ Zeecric.com

Ahmedabad: Sachin Tendulkar slammed his 8th Test ton against Sri Lanka as his partnership with VVS Laxman averted the possibility of a loss. He enthralled one and all with his timing and stroke-play, speaking volumes of his two decade long stint with international cricket. The first Test ended in a draw but India would be more than glad for the result as at one point, the Lankans were seemingly poised to race away with the game. Sachin and Laxman helped the Indian cause with some good rotation of the strike, forging a partnership that took the hosts out of the danger zone in Ahmedabad. The former also became the first batsman to cross 30,000 runs in international cricket and also continued his domination of cricket statistics. Laxman was an apt partner, crafting a half-century too. It was a Test match that would be more remembered for establishing new records for the history books than the result. Gautam Gambhir (114) was another pillar of the Indian innings, losing his concentration only once and paying a hefty price to Rangana Herath. It was refreshing to watch Gambhir’s good form as had slammed his seventh Test hundred just when his team needed it the most. Studded with some exquisite boundaries, the southpaw promised hope.Scorecard: India Vs Sri Lanka » On a wider note, the entire course of play saw the Sri Lankan spinners facing the same dilemma as their Indian counterparts, they simply lacked the sting! They had not created pressure of any sorts on the batsmen, rather, they were content playing the patience game, waiting for the batsmen to make mistakes. Even the ordinary fielding that saw catches being dropped in the slips did not help much to their cause.The firm pitch held good, still being more batsmen friendly, with little or no help fore the spinners, an unusual sight in contrast to the traditional turning turfs. With the three Test rubber starting with a draw, both the outfits would go into introspection mode as soon as possible, with India trying to figure out a way to induce energy into their lackluster bowling and Sri Lanka, figuring out a victory formula tghat would finally work.