AHMEDABAD (Reuters) - Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan stroked his fifth test century of the year for Sri Lanka who reached 275 for three in reply to India's 426 at the close on the second day of the first test on Tuesday.
Dilshan hit 112 and shared in a first-wicket stand of 74 with Tharanga Paranavitana (35) and 115 for the next with skipper Kumar Sangakkara (31) to help the tourists make a solid reply on a good batting pitch at the Motera.
Left-arm pace bowler Zaheer Khan struck crucial blows for India when he dismissed Dilshan and Sangakkara in successive overs but Mahela Jayawardene (36 not out) and Thilan Samaraweera (45 not out) made sure no more wickets fell with a stand of 81.
Dilshan, who scored 92 and 123 not out in the first test against New Zealand in August, recorded his 10th test hundred that featured some fine strokeplay.
Dilshan struck 12 fours and reached his century with a spanking cut for a boundary off Ishant Sharma, but fell to a soft dismissal when he top-edged a slash off Zaheer to be caught by Rahul Dravid running in from gully.
Zaheer, returning from a long injury layoff, forced Sangakkara to miscue a hook in his following over to be caught by Sachin Tendulkar at fine leg.
But former captain Jayawardene and Samaraweera batted with patience and poise as Sri Lanka's steadily built on Dilshan's magnificent effort.
Sri Lanka, who are ranked second behind South Africa in the official test rankings, are aiming to win a test on Indian soil for the first time.
India were bowled out in the morning for the addition of 41 runs to their overnight score and their spinners struggled to derive purchase.
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