Tendulkar and Dravid reach milestone

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid smashed centuries as India took a firm grip of the second and final Test against Bangladesh by cruising to a 226-run lead yesterday.

Tendulkar, who also reached triple figures in the first test, completed his 45th test century as India ended the second day on 459 for five.

His stylish knock of 143 off 182 balls included 13 fours and a six before he was caught by Imrul Kayes off Shakib Al Hasan at short midwicket.

Dravid who also racked up 12 fours, retired hurt on 111 when a bouncer from paceman Shahadat Hossain stuck on him on the helmet.

Tendulkar and Dravid added 222 runs for the third wicket and in the process became the most successful pair to put a century partnership in test cricket.

They have been involved in 17 100-plus partnerships, one better then Australian Ricky Ponting and Mathew Hayden and West Indies' Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

"It's a two-pace wicket. The bounce was also inconsistent. It was not an easy track to bat on," Tendulkar told reporters.

"They had defensive fields. They had fielders on the boundary lines. It was not that easy to get the scoreboard ticking at a rate that we would have liked.

"Then there were patches (when) we scored a lot of boundaries and made sure the run rate was a decent one."

Spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was earlier reprimanded by the International Cricket Council for kicking and damaging an advertising board on the first day of the test, was promoted up the order as nightwatchman but failed to last out the day when he was dismissed for 13 to end the day"s proceedings.