Solid Sachin takes India to safety

Gautam Gambhir had done the hard work, making a battling century but when he was dismissed on 114, India were still 69 runs behind and there was nearly two sessions to be played out. Step forward Sachin Tendulkar. He played out 211 deliveries on his way to an 88th international century, during which he also passed the milestone of 30,000 international runs, to ensure India saved the game.

He looked entirely at home in the role of saving a Test, not letting dot balls affect their minds. By the time the final session of the match arrived, the only question left unanswered was whether Tendulkar would get to his 88th international century. Kumar Sangakkara didn't seem pleased with being kept on the field in the mandatory overs while Tendulkar moved towards the ton. The bowlers started bowling way outside off stump, and Tendulkar retorted in his own inimitable manner. He walked across to a delivery so wide it would have been called in an ODI, and flicked it to the square-leg boundary to get into the 90s. He had to work similarly hard for the rest of the runs too. As soon as he got there, the captains agreed to call off the match with six overs still to go.

Tendulkar started off fluently, driving Murali against the spin for two boundaries, and punching Mathews for one, and once he got comfortable in the middle he too opted to play for time. Between them Gambhir and Tendulkar played out 24 overs. The latter had reached 32 off 75 deliveries, and slowed down even more after that. After Gambhir's dismissal, Tendulkar stitched an unbroken 137-run stand to end Sri Lanka's dream of clinching their first Test win in India.