Centuries from openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag left India in control on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur.

Gambhir hit a superb 167 and Sehwag overcame a tentative start to clobber a typically blistering 131, the pair adding 233 for the opening wicket on a placid surface.

Rahul Dravid then pressed home the advantage with an unbeaten 85 as India finished the day on 417 for two.

Sachin Tendulkar, who joined Dravid in the final hour, was 20 not out.

Kumar Sangakkara's depleted attack was hammered around the park as India's top order ensured there was no dramatic capitulation as in the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Sehwag was uncharacteristically scratchy in the first hour and was dropped by Mahela Jayawardene at first slip before he could get off the mark, before going on to dominate the opening stand.

He broke the shackles by driving Angelo Mathews for his first boundary in the 12th over and followed that with a pull to the midwicket fence in the same over.

There was no looking back thereafter as he quickly overtook Gambhir and reached his 16th Test century off just 97 deliveries by turning Muttiah Muralitharan for a boundary to fine leg.

Sehwag hammered Muralitharan for three consecutive boundaries as India sped past the 200 mark in the afternoon session and continued to accumulate runs at a breathtaking pace before Muralitharan made the breakthrough.

Sehwag drove at a delivery with a little more air and picked out Tillakaratne Dilshan at extra cover.

Gambhir, who had provided the early momentum, slowed as he neared his century but got there in style, skipping down the track to hit Rangana Herath for a straight boundary.

It was his eighth century and second in succession after a century in the second innings in Ahmedabad.

Together with Dravid, Gambhir added 137 for the second wicket, the run rate falling below five an over in the final session as Sri Lanka's bowlers brought some pressure to bear.

Gambhir was Muralitharan's second success on an otherwise poor day for Sri Lanka's bowlers, the off-spinner brilliantly latching onto a return catch.

Dravid had batted steadily, if slowly in comparison to the openers, but proved just as effective.

He reached his half-century - his 58th in Tests - by sweeping Muralitharan for a single.

Sri Lanka took the second new ball with four overs remaining but Dravid and Tendulkar played cautiously to finish the day unbeaten.

Ajantha Mendis, who took injured fast bowler Dammika Prasad's place in the side, conceded 87 from 19 overs while Herath - the third specialist spinner in Sri Lanka's attack - leaked 91 from 18 overs.