Chennai: There are only two things that will keep the interest alive on the final day of the opening Test. The prospect of watching Sachin Tendulkar’s 35 th century and Sourav Ganguly’s ‘return’ is enough to ensure that the cricket crazy public of the city flock the Chepauk on Tuesday. Weather permitting, of course.

The Little Master was batting on 11 when bad light forced a premature end.

The lull for three days was broken at 3 pm on Monday when after three inspections umpires, Daryl Harper and Mark Benson, and Match Referee Clive Lloyd declared the outfield fit for play. The boundary ropes, however, had to be brought in by a few yards along the periphery of the stadium to avoid slippery areas.

Once the coin fell in Rahul Dravid’s favour, he made sure to bat first so that the side got some valuable batting practice and did not have to risk injury by fielding.

As always, Muttiah Muralidharan will be Sri Lanka’s trump card. His probing line and variation did put Sachin and Rahu Dravid in a spot of bother for a while, but the Indians are such good players of spin that it is difficult to wrest the advantage. Both Dravid and Sachin showed loads of patience as India reached 90 for two.

The low bounce on the slow wicket was keeping the batsmen guessing as Murali tried to take full advantage. His efforts were well complemented by Chaminda Vaas, who removed both openers in his opening spell.

Gautam Gambhir was surprised by one that kept low while Sehwag walked into a trap. Knowing his penchant for driving on the up, Vaas invited him for the drive while varying the length. A silly mid-off and silly mid-on were specially positioned for any error in timing. As Sehwag drove too early at the slower delivery, the ball popped up at extra cover where Atapattu held over his head.

The flutter that the Indian vice-captain created during his 28-ball stay was enough to send the crowd into a tizzy. With Vaas not erring in line, Sehwag picked up Dilhara Fernando for special treatment picking 29 runs in his first three overs. He continued in the one-day mood, often gliding the ball between the slips.

If the top order clicks on Tuesday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have to cool his heels in the dressing room on debut.