PORT-OF-SPAIN (Trinidad), April 20: Sachin Tendulkar smashed his 29th Test century to equal the achievement of Australian great Sir Donald Bradman as India piled up 262 for four on the first day of the second Test against West Indies Friday.

The 28-year-old Tendulkar, who was unbeaten on 113, reached the landmark in his 93rd Test, cutting paceman Cameron Cuffy to third-man for a couple.

He threw his head back, looked up at the skies and raised both his hands in the air to celebrate.

Bradman, however, had got his 29 hundreds in just 52 matches. Only former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, with 34 tons in 125 Tests, has crossed three figures more times.

Tendulkar also holds the centuries record in One-day Internationals with 31.

He hammered 14 fours and shared in a 124-run stand for the third wicket with Rahul Dravid, who scored 67, after the team, asked to bat first by captain Carl Hooper on a well-grassed track, had lost both their openers for 38.

Vangipurappu Laxman was on 21, with a life on 14 when Brian Lara at first slip failed to hold on to a shoulder-high catch off Cuffy.

Tendulkar drove paceman Adam Sanford through the covers for four and flicked him to the mid-wicket fence for four more off the next ball.

He pulled off-spinner Carl Hooper to the mid-wicket fence for another of his nine fours before bringing up his 50 with a single to long leg.

The Mumbai player then picked up the pace, hitting Marlon Black for consecutive boundaries through the off side, but went through a nervous patch in the 90s.

Tendulkar, who made an uncharacteristically shaky start, had been fortunate earlier in his innings.

He was lucky to survive on six when he gave a leading edge to Sanford and the ball spooned up in the air and fell just short of Cuffy at wide mid-off.

Tendulkar then survived a huge appeal for caught behind in the same over when he played at and missed a Sanford out-swinger.

Dravid, promoted up the order after his unbeaten 144 in the first Test at Georgetown, dispatched the West Indies bowlers to all corners of the Queen’s Park Oval.

He got off the mark by cutting Cuffy to the third man fence for four and then flicked Sanford to the square-leg boundary.

The 29-year-old then rocked back on his toes and steered Mervyn Dillon for a boundary backward of square before raising his 50, off 102 balls, with his ninth four.

He was looking good for his second straight century when Black bowled him through the gate as he played across the line to a ball pitching on off-stump.

Ganguly, under pressure to perform overseas, cut off-spinner Hooper for two boundaries before he was caught at mid-off by Dillon for 25 while giving the bowler the charge.

The four-pronged West Indies pace attack of Dillon, Cuffy, Sanford and Black had earlier seemed to justify the decision to bowl first with fiery opening spells.

Dillon had opener Shiv Sundar Das lbw for 10 with a delivery that nipped in sharply after pitching outside off stump.

Sanjay Bangar, promoted as opener in place of wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta who was left out in favour of debutant Ajay Ratra, perished for nine.

He played away from his body to a widish delivery from Sanford and wicket-keeper Junior Murray held on to a simple catch as India slumped to 38 for two.

Skipper Ganguly decided to leave out leg-spinner Anil Kumble, India’s most successful current bowler with 318 wickets in 69 Tests, going in with three seamers — Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and the recalled Ashish Nehra — and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan missed the first Test due to a pulled shoulder muscle.

West Indies made just one change, bringing in Black for leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, who was ruled out with a niggling hamstring injury.