Dravid, Yuvraj prop India after Welegedara strikes

Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh rescued India after Sri Lanka's new-look pace attack ripped through the top order at the start of the first cricket Test here on Monday.

The pair put on 125 for the fifth wicket after left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara had grabbed three wickets in his first four overs to reduce India to 32-4 within the first hour of play.

Dravid was unbeaten on 98, just two short of his 27th Test century, as India went to tea on the first day at 221-5.

Dravid, 36, nicknamed the "Wall" for his technically solid batting, has so far hit 14 boundaries and a six.

Yuvraj made 68 before he top-edged a ball from Muttiah Muralitharan to the cover region, but Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept Dravid company at the break on 29.

Some 10,000 home fans at the Motera stadium, who had hoped to see batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar celebrate his third decade in Test cricket with a bang, were stunned to see wickets fall in a heap.

Tendulkar, the world's leading Test and one-day batsman, smashed the first ball he faced to the cover fence, but fell two deliveries later when he was bowled by a jubilant Welegedara.

Welegedara and fellow seamer Dammika Prasad, who had just four Test appearances between them, justified their selection ahead of the more experienced duo of Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilan Thushara.

Few expected the havoc to follow after Dhoni won the toss and promptly elected to bat on a hard, brown wicket that appeared full of runs.

Welegedara, working up a tidy pace, bowled Gautam Gambhir in his second over and trapped Virender Sehwag leg-before in his fourth to reduce India to 27-2.

Tendulkar followed Sehwag in the same over, before Prasad uprooted Venkatsai Laxman's off-stump six balls later to increase India's woes.

Welegedara, playing only his second Test, gave away just 28 runs in his opening spell of seven overs, before he was replaced by Muralitharan.

Dravid and Yuvraj lifted the total to 105 by lunch and then took the attack to the Sri Lankans in a spectacular counter-attack when play resumed.

Dravid hit three boundaries in one over from Welegedara and Yuvraj reached his half-century with two consecutive fours off Angelo Mathews.

Left-handed Yuvraj was dismissed mid-way through the afternoon session when he played early to Muralitharan and the top edge spooned for an easy catch to Tillakaratne Dilshan in the covers.