Nothing in the first five overs today, not even the pitch, indicated that Virender Sehwag would score 147. The first ball he faced, from Pedro Collins, swerved furiously into his toes before he could get his bat down. The fifth ball clunked him flush on the back of the helmet. Then Merv Dillon flitted in, shirt hanging out in his second over, and defeated him four times; two were edges which fell short of fielders at gully and slip. His first runs came through the cordon, and so did his first boundary.

Two things happened, both of which pointed towards a man increasingly coming to terms with his talent. First, Sehwag got himself together. Then, he did not get carried away. The runs came even quicker than they usually do, at a strike-rate of 71 runs per 100 balls, and included virtually the same percentage of boundaries (76).

Then there was the range of strokes. Fours were pickpocketed off Mahendra Nagamootoo and Carl Hooper fine on either side off the wicket with an affectionate give of the wrists. More came through grand cover-drives. There was even a six over third man, which really should have been a catch. Never, though, was there any overwhelming sense of madness. I must make this count, he seemed to be saying.

The West Indians were already sapped by the soul-sucking heat and humidity. Their bowlers lost incisiveness and their fielding began to live down to its reputation – catches were dropped off three of the four players who batted today. What will almost certainly await them tomorrow is 300 more runs, possibly a Sachin Tendulkar century on home soil, and plenty of fluid loss. Somehow they will need to stop playing like a team at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was to Sehwag's credit that he did not become casual against them. He paved the way for India's first double-century opening stand since 1987, and only their third century opening stand on the first day of a Test since 1986. This was a significant feat but witnessed by only a quarter-full stadium; there just has been no sense of anticipation to this series.

The newly laid pitch did nothing to create a buzz either. There was not much bounce, not much seam, not much pace; turn may yet emerge. Anyone who had seen the previous two Tests at the Wankhede would have cringed.

The Indian board had taken a sweeping decision to make new pitches at all Test centres in the country. But as Sourav Ganguly pointed out yesterday, if there was ever a need not to relay a surface in India, it was at Mumbai. To be fair to the administrators, a new surface is estimated to come into its own only after 8-10 months. The question is whether the Wankhede needed one at all.

Rahul Bhattacharya is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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