Laxman, Yuvraj hit half centuries, India 639/7 (Tea report)

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KANPUR - Sri Lankan left arm spinner Rangana Herath took three wickets in the second session as India reached 639 for seven at tea on the second day of the second cricket Test at Green Park here Wednesday.

V.V.S Laxman (63) and Yuvraj Singh (66 batting) added 102 runs for the fifth wicket before the former got out trying to accelerate the scoring. India added 104 runs in the session.

Laxman, whose 121-ball knock included five fours, was dismissed as he came down the track to clear mid-off, but mistimed and holed out to Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Three overs later, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was bowled through the gates when he missed the line of a Herath (3-118) delivery.

Harbhajan Singh was out to a similar ball from Herath which turned and hit the timber.

Yuvraj played his customary shots after the lunch break, hitting four boundaries and two sixes in his 98-ball knock.

Yuvraj came to the crease just before lunch after Rahul Dravid compiled his 28th century and became Test cricket’s fourth highest scorer, surpassing former Australian captain Allan Border.

Dravid’s innings was cut short at 144 runs after he had added 59 runs to his overnight score. He was run out after backing up a bit too far as left arm spinner Herath, while attempting to stop a Laxman shot off his own bowling, palmed the ball back to the stumps.

But by then Dravid had made sure that India reached a position of strength and cashed in on the advantage of the big first day total of 417 for two that included explosive centuries from Virender Sehwag (131) and Gautam Gambhir (167).

Dravid, who pulled India out of trouble with a counter-attacking 177 in the drawn Ahmedabad Test, reached his second consecutive ton when he straight drove left arm pacer Chanaka Welegedara for a four. He played 172 balls for his 28th century and hit 10 fours.

He crossed a milestone when he took a single off Herath, surpassing Border’s aggregate of 11,174 runs to become Test cricket’s fourth highest scorer after Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting.

Dravid now has 11,182 runs in 136 Tests at an average of 53.50.

India scored at a brisk pace and added 118 runs in 20 overs in the session. Dravid was the dominant partner in the 94-run stand with Tendulkar (40).

Dravid’s 226-ball effort had 15 fours and one six.