For all its historic value Sachin Tendulkar’s 35th ton was an individual milestone. Yet Saturday was an important day for Team India too, as its recovery after a difficult start was constructed by three batsmen under the scanner.VVS Laxman dispelled doubts that he retains his silken touch; so too did Sourav Ganguly, especially with the two classic cover drives in his unbeaten 39. These two and the centurion helped India overcome the absence of opener Virender Sehwag and finish the day at a confident 245/3, effectively countering Sri Lanka’s moral victory at Chennai.India’s buoyancy today can be traced back to yesterday’s late-night team meeting. With Sehwag ruled out the issue of the openers was first on the agenda; Rahul Dravid stepped up to take the challenge. As Dravid moved up the order VVS Laxman and Ganguly were left in their comfort zones at No.3 and No.5. Not for long, though, because the loss of early wickets meant that India had to regroup before schedule. Vaas dismissed Gambhir after getting early purchase from the wicket while Murali accounted for an uneasy Dravid.Laxman chose this period to show why, despite Tendulkar’s late domination, he was the day’s MCP — Most Confident Player. Teams across the world keen to demystify the offie would do well to study tapes of Laxman’s batting today, it was that assured.He didn’t step out — as Ganguly did, almost getting himself stumped in the process — but stretched and reached for the ball. Once there, he used his wrists to either flick to mid-wicket or to the cover region.After a while he grew so confident that on one occasion he slog-sweeped the offie for a four to the mid-wicket fence. Occasionally he stepped back but that was for a rare long hop. The only time he faltered on the backfoot proved to be the last ball of his innings. Deceived by the doosra while defending, he edged into the hands of Kumara Sanggakara.There’s margin for error when facing Murali. Ganguly might have been circumspect against Murali but he tackled Vaas and Fernando with ease. There were two shots that had nostalgia written all over them — both exquisite cover drivers off Vaas. Head in position, feet in place, that flawless swing with perfect timing.The match seems perfectly set up for India. They must get quick runs to give themselves time to pick up 20 wickets on this dead track. With Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni up next, that shouldn’t be a problem.Finally, a word on Dravid’s contribution. Not his 24 off 43 balls but his winning the toss — and, toss won, to lead the batting from the front. SCOREBOARD
