Kanpur, Nov 24 (IANS) Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir gave India an explosive start in the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka here Tuesday.

Strokeful half-centuries from Sehwag (70) and Gambhir (59) took India to 131 for no loss at lunch on the opening day after Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat.

Sehwag broke the shackles in the second hour of the morning session, playing with his belligerent style and cloberring the spinners at will.

Sri Lanka went into the match with three spinners and included Ajantha Mendis in place of injured pacer Dammika Prasad. But it made little difference as the two Indian openers launched a blistering attack on the slower bowlers.

Mendis was punished the most — 42 runs in five overs. Overall the spinners cost 73 runs in just nine overs.

Most of those runs flowed from the blade of Sehwag, whose 73-ball 70 runs had eight fours and two sixes.

Sehwag is looking set to make Sri Lanka bleed for dropping him in the fourth ball of the innings off Chanaka Welegedera. First slip Mahela Jayawerdene, distracted by a diving wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawerdene, lost the ball from his hands.

Sehwag immediately went into defensive, tackling the initial overs from Welegedera and Anjelo Mathews without taking any risk.

Young left-arm seamer Welegedera, who rocked the Indian top order in the first innings of the drawn Ahmedabad Test, troubled Sehwag with his swinging deliveries. But there was not much bounce and pace in the wicket to assist the faster bowlers.

Gambhir steered the innings stroking some sweetly timed fours.

But once Sri Lanka introduced spin with left armer Rangana Herath in the 16th over, Gambhir cut loose, coming down the track to hit two of his three fours in the over which went for 14 runs.

Sehwag then took control after drinks and the duo blasted 92 runs in next 14 overs.