Nagpur: He had never been away, it seemed. Or perhaps he had been cryogenically frozen, oblivious to time's diktat. Sachin Tendulkar's return galvanised a team short on confidence to a 152-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first of seven matches for the Videocon Cup at the VCA Stadium here on Tuesday.

"It was a fantastic effort, a good team effort," said captain Rahul Dravid. "Great to have Sachin back. His runs today were fantastic. He and Irfan set the match up."

Half-centuries with considerable ramifications from Tendulkar, Pathan and Dravid (Man of the Match) meant Sri Lanka was in pursuit of 351. Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara threatened, but shrewd captaincy and a track that turned sharply proved too hot a combination. After India's quicker bowlers were taken apart by audacious strokes from the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper, Dravid delayed Power Play 2 and threw the ball to Harbhajan Singh.

Jayasuriya was flummoxed by a fast flat delivery from an altered angle, prompting delirious celebrations in the Indian camp. It got better. A Sehwag looper gripped the surface and Sangakkara played too soon.

Dravid stepped in again, enforcing Power Play 2 after their departure and introducing Super Sub Murali Kartik as Harbhajan's partner. The two twirlers then mixed their pace and changed their lines of attack to embarrass the spin-bred Lankans. S. Sreesanth — the Challenger Series hero — returned to take his first ODI wickets.

Tendulkar in action

Earlier, when Tendulkar strode out with Sehwag, the atmosphere grew rarefied as a few million breaths were collectively held. The crowd had swelled the rafters and a roar was forming deep in its throat. The pitch was dry; Dravid's luck with the coin set the stage for Tendulkar.

Sehwag — short on ODI runs — waited till the second over to free his arms. A slash and wrist flick later, Tendulkar was on strike. A caress through the covers, the erstwhile tennis elbow now proud and high, signalled resumption of normal service. Farveez Maharoof's first over went for 17.

Vaas winkled Sehwag out with an off-cutter and Dravid's philosophy of a fluid batting order found its expression in Pathan's promotion. "Sachin came up with the idea," Dravid said later. With this move, the Indian captain forced his counterpart to think about the distribution of Power Plays 2 and 3.

Tendulkar blended the classical with the urgent, balls exiting the dark green inner circle onto the lighter-hued outfield from drives and hoists. Pathan biffed and bashed when mood met opportunity, but more like a batsman in search of quick runs than a brainless pinch-hitter. The head was still, the swing unfettered. Eighty-eight came in 15 overs as Atapattu went to his striker Muttiah Muralitharan.

Tendulkar eschewed a frontal attack, choosing instead to nip at the off-spinner's flanks. He lapped Murali before stepping down to chip over the in-field.

Pathan's charge

Pathan, meanwhile, repeatedly charged Chandana and left the white ball in the stands. The pair put on 164 in 147 balls before a double strike in three balls gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope.

Pathan's career-best knock (83, 70b, 8x4, 4x6) was terminated by Dilshan's off-spin and before new batsman Yuvraj Singh broke a sweat, Tendulkar exited. The great man had fallen seven short of his thirty-ninth ODI hundred — a knock interspersed with nine boundaries and two sixes from 96 balls.

In the recent past, India has reached positions of strength only to fritter it away in the later part of the innings. 201 for one had become 207 for three, and then 247 for four. Dravid and M.S. Dhoni prevented the deja vu. Dhoni flexed his shoulders; Dravid did even better.

Often unsung or overshadowed in the instant format, the Indian skipper played an innings (85 not out, 64b, 8x4, 1x6) that best delineated his one-day evolution.

Like a composer building a crescendo, Dravid began almost unnoticed and then caught up with himself. He carved the last ball over the covers to help India to an even 350.

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