At tea (after 62 overs), they had reached 235 for one.
Both Paranavitana (89 not out) and Sangakkara (80 not out) were toying with the Indian bowling attack, that looked vapid to say the least.
The home team began on a steady note before Tillekaratne Dilshan (54) cut loose.
The opener smashed Abhimanyu Mithun through extra cover for his first boundary before hitting four successive fours in the next over by Ishant Sharma.
Ishant was largely ineffective in his opening spell, his figures reading 6-1-39-0. Mithun, on the other hand, was impressive, having Paranavitana in all sorts of trouble early on.
Dilshan became quiet for some time before hitting three boundaries in a Mithun over.
Harbhajan Singh was introduced into the attack in the 18th over and Dilshan cut his first delivery to the point boundary to bring up a well deserved half century.
The right-hander was dismissed in the very next over, Ojha having him caught by VVS Laxman at short extra cover.
The opening wicket partnership yielded the home team 99 runs. However, Dilshan's dismissal came against the run of play.
Kumar Sangakkara announced his arrival with a couple of boundaries off Ojha.
At lunch (after 29 overs), the hosts had reached 128 for one.
Soon after resumption Paranavitana completed his fifth Test fifty with a single off Sehwag.
And while he held fort and one end, Sangakkara cut loose on the other.
It didn't take long for the latter to complete his half-century, a boundary followed by a single to mid-on (off Ishant) ensuring him his second 50-plus score of the series - after his hundred at Galle.
And the captain's confidence brushed in on Paranavitana as well, the opener coming down the track and smashing Harbhajan for a maximum to help his side cross the 200-run mark, while also ensuring the 100-run stand for the second wicket.
Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and not surprisingly elected to bat first.
"It's usually a fantastic wicket but we have to do saome hard work early on and pile on some runs," said Kumar Sangakkara, the captain of the home team.
His opposite number, Mahendra Singh Dhoni , was not all perturbed.
"There'll be a bit more bounce for the bowlers," he observed.
Sri Lanka had as many as four changes in the side, bringing in Dhammika Prasad, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv in the side.
For Randiv, it was a debut Test appearance.
The visitors also had a couple of changes in their line-up, Murali Vijay coming in place of an injured Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina making his Test debut, replacing Yuvraj Singh.
Source http://cricket.rediff.com/report/2010/jul/26/live-updates-india-vs-sri-lanka-second-test-colombo.htm
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