Muttiah Muralitharan has to take back seat to centurions in his farewell match

Much of the pre-match focus had been on Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who will retire from Test cricket after this game, but Sangakkara (103) stole the show on the opening day as he reached his 22nd Test century just before the tea break, with opener Paranavitana (110 not out) bringing up his maiden century shortly after the interval.

Sangakkara was eventually caught at midwicket off the bowling of Virender Sehwag to end a 181-run second-wicket partnership, but Mahela Jayawardene (eight not out) only had to face 14 balls before rain brought an early end to the day's play.

Muralitharan may have needed only eight wickets to reach 800 Test scalps in his 133rd match, but the veteran was forced to take a back seat after Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat. India handed a debut to 20-year-old Abhhimanyu Mithun, but it was his senior partner Ishant Sharma who the Sri Lanka batsman took to in the early stages.

Tillakaratne Dilshan thrashed three boundaries in the ninth over of the day as Sharma's opening five overs cost him 41 runs. Mithun kept things far tighter at the other end and claimed his first Test wicket with a well-aimed bouncer that caught the gloves of Dilshan, who had raced to 25 from 24 balls, as he attempted to maintain his early attack.

Paranavitana offered a tough chance when a leading edge gave Gautam Gambhir little time to react at silly point just before lunch, but he and Sangakkara were hardly troubled thereafter.

They reached their half-centuries off successive balls, before Sangakkara survived a scare as India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni uncharacteristically spilled a straightforward chance when Sehwag found the edge of Sangakkara's bat when he was on 65.

The left-hander made India pay as he reached his century from 136 balls and Paranavitana wasted little time in following suit by bringing up his ton from 201 balls when play resumed after tea.

Sangakkara then went as Tendulkar took the catch at midwicket, but there was little time for India to test new batsman Jayawardene before bad light stopped play with Sri Lanka on course for a significant first-innings total at a ground where the average opening score is 412.

l Ricky Ponting insists Australia are coming to the boil nicely ahead of this winter's Ashes series after they completed a seventh straight Test victory.

Australia wrapped up a comfortable 150-run win over Pakistan at Lord's in what Ponting believes was another major step towards reclaiming the famous urn. "We've all got one eye on later in the year and these steps this week have been good ones in the right direction as far as improving our Test cricket," said Ponting.

"We've got a few more Tests to play yet, but things are going well.It is seven straight wins now and that's 13 straight against Pakistan, which is another good record to have over them. Things are coming together nicely. Test matches are not easy to win. It's not about rebuilding now for us, I feel that we're through that and once we get all our guys back to full fitness we're going to put a really formidable side on the park"