CHITTAGONG, Dec 17: Indian batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid slammed solid centuries to put Bangladesh's attack to the sword in the second and final Test here on Friday.

Left-handed opener Gambhir scored 139 for his maiden Test hundred and Dravid an unbeaten 145 as India posted 334-2 at stumps on the opening day after winning the toss on a batsman-friendly track.

The pair made the most of a toothless Bangladeshi attack, putting on 259 for the second wicket to put their team on course for a massive first-innings total. Dravid, 31, has so far cracked 21 fours in his 18th Test hundred. Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 36 at the draw of stumps.

"The wicket was very good. It was really flat. It was a question of batting till you made a mistake," said Dravid, who also achieved a rare feat of scoring a century against each Test-playing nation.

"It's nice to score a hundred against each Test-playing nation. It's good company to be in - Steve Waugh, Gary Kirsten, Sachin Tendulkar. Elite and respected company. It's nice to complete the set," he said.

"I've always been aware of my overseas record. I've been brought up to believe that when you score runs abroad that is the real test," he said. Hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag was the lone batsman to miss out on the run-feast, falling early in the day after contributing just 10 runs.

Thereafter, it became an ordeal in the sun for Bangladesh who had to toil for more than two sessions for their second wicket as Gambhir and Dravid applied themselves well to put their side in a commanding position.

Debutant seamer Nazmul Hossain broke the stand when he bowled Gambhir off an inside-edge, but not before the batsman had toyed with the Bangladeshi bowling along with his senior partner.

Gambhir faced 196 balls and smashed 19 fours, including four in an over from Hossain. "It's a dream to get the first Test hundred," said Gambhir, playing only his fifth match.

"I was more determined here because it was a good wicket to bat on. I wanted to see off the new ball. The whole team motivated me and Dravid helped me a lot during my innings." Bangladesh, who have lost 30 of their 33 matches since gaining Test status in 2000, lacked the bowling resources to test the Indian batsmen on an easy-paced track.

Neither seamers nor spinners could trouble Gambhir and Dravid, who scored as and when they pleased during their big partnership. The 23-year-old Gambhir, who scored 96 against South Africa in the second and final Test at Kolkata early this month, did not miss out on a three-figure knock this time.

He reached his hundred with a single off left-arm spinner Manjural Rana. Dravid, who fell for a duck in the opening match at Dhaka, made amends with a big innings. He reached his century in the first over after the tea-break, fluently driving seamer Talha Jubair through the covers for his 14th four.

Bangladesh's lone success in the morning session came in the fifth over when Sehwag tried to drive Mortaza but edged him straight to skipper Habibul Bashar, who held a regulation catch at first slip.

Their joy was short-lived as Dravid and Gambhir dominated the attack with a wide range of strokes. Gambhir got a reprieve on 44 when Rana failed to hold a low catch at lone slip off left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique.

India retained the side that won the opening Test at Dhaka by an innings and 140 runs for a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The hosts made three changes, bringing in Aftab Ahmed, Jubair and Hossain. Rajin Saleh, who got a pair in the opening match, Mushfiqur Rahman and Tapash Baisya were dropped.

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