Bishoo gets Tendulkar again but Dravid’s ton puts India in box seat

KOLKATA, (Reuters) – Rahul Dravid made the most  of superb batting conditions at Eden Gardens to post his 36th  test hundred and put India in charge after the first day of the  second test against West Indies today.
The hosts, after opting to bat first, were 346 for five at  the close with Vangipurappu Laxman 73 not out after the umpires  decided to suspend play due to bad light with 2.3 overs left in  the day.
Dravid (119), rock solid in defence as usual, brought up his  fifth test hundred of the year with a flicked boundary to square  leg off paceman Kemar Roach to a standing ovation from the  sparse crowd.
He was ready to wait for the loose deliveries and hit nine  fours and two sixes during his 207-ball stay before he chopped  on part-time spinner Kraigg Brathwaite to gift the 18-year-old  his first test wicket in the penultimate over of the day.
Dravid’s first six off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo came  after a gap of 101 balls from his previous boundary and the  second six off Marlon Samuels came after he had got past his  century.
The 38-year old Dravid added 140 runs for the fourth wicket  with Laxman, which put India on course for a big first innings  total.
Laxman also looked in supreme touch and scored at will  against the West Indies spinners with wristy flicks and drives  to bring up his 56th half-century in tests.
India earlier lost the wickets of Gautam Gambhir (65) and  Sachin Tendulkar (38), whose wait for his 100th international  century goes on, in the afternoon session after opener Virender  Sehwag (38) fell in the morning.
Sehwag, hit by an Edwards bouncer on the back of his helmet  in the third over, took a particular liking to Darren Sammy’s  medium pace bowling, scoring six out of his eight boundaries  against the West Indies captain.
However, Sammy had the last laugh when he lured Sehwag into  a mistimed drive straight into the hands of Barath at short  mid-wicket after the batsman had compiled a breezy 38 off 33  deliveries.
Gambhir and Dravid added 83 for the second wicket before the  left-handed opener drove uppishly to Adrian Barath at short  cover off paceman Fidel Edwards.
Gambhir hit eight boundaries during his knock which included  some fluent cover drives against the pacemen and nimble footwork  against the spinners.
Tendulkar, who survived a close lbw appeal on 25 against  leg-spinner Bishoo, mistimed a pull against the same bowler and  was caught at mid-wicket by Samuels, much to the disappointment  of the smattering of fans.
The teams will play the third and final test in Mumbai from  Nov. 22. India won the first test in Delhi.