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Sparkling India take control

CRICKET: Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag struck sparkling centuries as India amassed 417-2 to take a firm grip of the second Test against Sri Lanka after the first day's play yesterday.

Gambhir top-scored with 167 to notch a century in his fourth Test in a row and after Sehwag hit an aggressive 131, the duo adding a blistering 233 together after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss on a good pitch.

India recorded their highest total in a day’s play, surpassing their previous best of 386 against South Africa in Chennai last year.

At stumps, Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 85 and eyeing his 28th Test hundred with Sachin Tendulkar 20 not out.

Gambhir (28) put in another solid performance to follow an innings of 114 in the drawn first Test in Ahmedabad as another true pitch left the bowlers in despair.

Aviva Stadium on schedule

NEW STADIUM: The first of the 50,000 seats in the new Aviva Stadium have been installed. On hand to celebrate another milestone in the stadium development were (from left) Philip Browne, chairman of the stadium company and chief executive IRFU; John Delaney, chief executive FAI and Stuart Purdy, chief executive, Hibernian Aviva.

The stadium is on schedule for completion next April. The roof steel work has been completed (cladding of the roof will continue for a number of months) and work on the pitch has started.

War Of Attrition set for Newbury

RACING: The 2006 Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition will make his first trip to England since that memorable day at Cheltenham when he lines up in Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, writes Brian O'Connor.

The Mouse Morris-trained star, owned by the Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, will have to carry only 10st 6lb in the big handicap with the 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman set to carry topweight of 11st 12lb.

“It’s some weight he’s got for a Gold Cup winner whichever way you look at it,” Morris admitted yesterday.

“He’s come on nicely for his run at Down Royal. He’ll run and he seems fine.”

War Of Attrition ran third to The Listener on his seasonal reappearance at Down Royal earlier this month. He is a general 40 to 1 shot in ante-post betting for the Hennessy.

Denman remains a 4 to 1 market leader.

Review system to be used in Tests

CRICKET: The ICC's decision review system will be used after all in the forthcoming England-South Africa Test series. The system – first trailed between England and West Indies last winter and now refined to include only two permissible failed challenges per side in each innings – is in place for the ongoing series between Pakistan and New Zealand.

The intention is for it to be introduced universally. But indications last week were that it would not be in operation in the series in South Africa, starting next month, because of a wrangle between the home board and the world governing body over how the required technology should be funded.