Ben Foakes said that conditions in Chennai were "obviously extremely tough, and probably not going to get any easier" after keeping wicket for 113.5 overs and batting for nearly two hours across the first two days of England's second Test against India.

With Jos Buttler at home in the UK as part of the ECB's rotation policy for multi-format players, Foakes has been backed by England to keep wicket in the final three Tests of this series, and took his chance in India's first innings with an accomplished display with the gloves: England did not concede a single extra, while Foakes took two catches off Olly Stone's bowling and completed a stumping off Moeen Ali.

He then performed creditably with the bat, compiling an unbeaten 42 from No. 7 after coming in at 52 for 5 to drag England up to 134 all out, though his keeping was less polished at the start of India's second innings, as he missed a stumping chance off Moeen's bowling to dismiss Rohit Sharma and also conceded five byes.

"It was extremely difficult," Foakes told the host broadcaster, Star Sports. "Obviously they [India] are a pretty high-quality spin outfit and the pitch was playing a few tricks, so all in all it was a really tough day. We have just got to try to apply ourselves [in the] second innings.

"It's obviously extremely tough and it's probably not going to get any easier. Balls are going to spit past us, balls are going to keep low, and so we have to play within our own gameplans, our own limits, and try to put pressure on the bowlers where we can but also back our defence, too."

Foakes highlighted the lack of any moisture in the surface, which he suggested had made the pitch particularly difficult to bat on.

"I think it's just spitting so much," he said. "It's obviously so dry on the top that a lot of balls are taking the top and really turning, and then you're getting the odd ball shoot low as well. All in all, it's quite a difficult pitch to bat on.

"I was just trying to play for the ball that wasn't going to rag, try to play within my limits, and play the ball late, basically - not get too far outside my bubble.

"Because the ball is taking the top of the surface, it's spitting quite a lot, so it was almost [a case of] accepting that if one hit me on the glove or something then it was fair enough. Otherwise, I just tried to stick to my gameplan as if it was a normal sort of wicket and react if possible."

R Ashwin, who took 5 for 43 to help roll through England in their second innings, said that batsmen needed to be "very patient" on the Chepauk surface, but suggested that the pitch was no more challenging than one which would offer bounce and carry for fast bowlers.

"I think it's about being very patient, like when you play on a seaming wicket," Ashwin said. "You have to dive through the initial phase, and get over it and then put runs on the board. When it comes to spin, unfortunately people don't expect… they want conditions in their favour, driving, cutting, everything needs to happen. But when it comes to a seaming wicket, you can't do all those things when you start playing on that kind of a wicket in the morning. The same benchmark needs to be set when you play spin on a challenging wicket as well.

"I do not know if they [England] have complaints. If they do, it is quite natural for people to come up against adverse conditions and then feel taken aback by it. In all honesty, the seven days of cricket that they have played so far, they have played really well, competed really well. I haven't seen any of them complaining or anything like that.

"The only comparison I can say is if the ball is moving around 140-145 clicks off the deck, that has to be more challenging than somebody bowling at 85-90. Clearly, the challenges are way greater when you come up against seam."

R ASHWIN

"But time and again there are conditions that will challenge, be it spin or seam. The only comparison I can say is if the ball is moving around 140-145 clicks [kph] off the deck, that has to be more challenging than somebody bowling at 85-90. Clearly, the challenges are way greater when you come up against seam. Just the same way when you come up against spin, you have to give it to the bowler, bide your time, and then probably cash in a little later. It is another art. As simple as that."

Graham Thorpe, England's assistant coach, said that the toss had been an important factor - as it had been in the first Test of the series - and played down any concerns about umpiring. Rohit Sharma survived a review for lbw in the final half-hour after a ball from Moeen struck him outside the line and would have hit middle stump. Umpire Virender Sharma's 'not out' decision was upheld after he had judged that Rohit had attempted to play a shot, despite appearing to hide his bat behind his front pad, which left Joe Root visibly frustrated.

"It's incredibly challenging on that surface on day two," Thorpe said. "They're a very skilled spin attack in their own conditions and it was a very good toss to win. Even in the first Test, we believed it was a good toss to win. I think this was just as important. We know that pitches deteriorate here as the game goes on, and this one has gone a little bit quicker.

"It's obviously a canny bit of play by Pujara [Rohit]. The umpire has to make that decision. He has to decide at the time whether he thinks a player has played a shot at the ball and you have to accept it. The on-field umpire has to make that decision and that's the one he came down on: he thought Pujara [Rohit] was playing a shot."

Eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic beat Milos Raonic in four sets to advance to the quarterfinals and register his 300th win in a Grand Slam match.

Top-ranked Djokovic is just the second player to reach the 300-win milestone after Roger Federer.

Djokovic hurt a stomach muscle when he fell during his third-round victory over Taylor Fritz, and he skipped practice Saturday.

There were concerns he wouldn't recover in time for his match against Raonic but the defending champion went onto Rod Laver Arena without showing any noticeable signs of trouble. He was wearing tape above his right hip.

"Well, I did a lot of recovery...I mean, a lot of, lots of time with my physio on the table, trying to rest as much as I can," Djokovic said. "Did different treatments with different devices. You know, just pills, painkillers and stuff like this with medical team of Tennis Australia and Australian Open, that definitely helped a lot. And ATP physios, I want to thank them again for being available for me and for my physiotherapist and giving their best to, you know, allow me to be in the condition to compete."

The 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win extended Djokovic's unbeaten streak to 12 straight against Raonic, the 2016 Wimbledon finalist.

Djokovic said he's going to prepare as best as he can for his next match against Alexander Zverev, but only because it's one of the big four tournaments in tennis.

He said: "If it's any other tournament than a Grand Slam, then I'd withdraw from that event, that's for sure. But because it's a Grand Slam I want to do my best to recover.''

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

As negotiations between MLB players and owners reached their apex last summer, the union held together strongly, with Max Scherzer and Jack Flaherty and others taking to social media to collectively reflect the group's insistence on 100% pay.

But it seemed even then that inevitably the owners would find ways to offset revenues that were diminished by conducting games without fans in the stands. That effort began last spring with club employees being furloughed or laid off, with benefits being slashed, with minor leaguers left in lockdown and no games to play. The most significant cuts, however, hit the class of free agents that reached the market this winter, rollbacks that are staggering, even for the guys at the top of the player pyramid.

Last week, Trevor Bauer signed for what will likely be the highest single-season salaries in history thanks to his three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers. But as agents have noted, the structure of the deal reflects the larger shift that has occurred this winter. Bauer's deal is worth less than one-third in guaranteed dollars than Gerrit Cole's $324 million contract and less than half of the $245 of what Stephen Strasburg got.

World steeplechase record-holder sets another global mark with 14:43 at the Monaco Run, while Joshua Cheptegei clocks 13:14

Back racing in Monaco, where she made steeplechase history in 2018, Beatrice Chepkoech added another world record to her CV as she improved the global women’s 5km mark to 14:43.

Racing in sunny, cool and blustery conditions, the Kenyan shaved one second from Sifan Hassan’s outright official world record also set in Monaco in a women-only race in 2019.

Chepkoech was paced by Netherlands’ Luuk Maas and the previous record in a mixed gender race was Caroline Kipkirui’s 14:48 set in 2018. The road 5km became an official world record event in 2017.

“It was so good,” said Chepkoech, who ran 8:44.32 to break the world 3000m steeplechase record in 2018. “Even though there was a lot of wind, I tried to follow my pacemaker and everything was perfect.

“The first kilometre was so fast but the second was a bit slower but then when we were coming back the wind was not as strong so I tried to push before we reached the [Larvotto] tunnel.

“When we were inside the tunnel my pacemaker told me ‘we can do it, let’s just push it’. I just followed him.

“I am so happy [with the time] because I didn’t expect it.”

There had been some confusion during the race as after Chepkoech passed 1km in around 2:57 the cameras focused on Meraf Bahta, running solo in second place. But the Kenyan world steeplechase champion remained on world record pace and the cameras captured her crossing the finish line with 14:40 on the clock before her time was confirmed as a world record 14:43.

Sweden’s Bahta was a minute behind her, clocking 15:46, while France’s Alice Finot was third in 15:52.

Chepkoech’s unofficial 1km splits were 2:57, 2:59, 3:01, 2:58 and 2:48.

She will next race at the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, on February 17.

The men’s world record had been broken by Joshua Cheptegei at this event last year and the Ugandan world champion returned to defend his title.

While his record was not under threat this time, he claimed victory once again by clocking 13:14 ahead of Kenya’s Bethwell Birgen with 13:18 on his road racing debut.

Kenya’s Davis Kiplangat was third with 13:19 and France’s Morhad Amdouni fourth with 13:20. Richard Douma broke the Dutch record with 13:24 in fifth.

“It was a good race but the wind was incredibly difficult,” said Cheptegei, who explained how he had spent one month preparing for the race following a break after the World Half Marathon Championships in October. Before that he had also broken the world 5000m record in Monaco with 12:35.36 in August.

“I just wanted to run and defend the title.”

Asked by Britain’s former world marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe, who was commentating on the race alongside two-time Olympic champion Seb Coe, about his ambitions for the rest of the year and the Tokyo Olympics, Cheptegei added: “Tokyo is going to be a phenomenal challenge for me.

“I expect this year to become great like last year, or even more great than last year.”

Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano.

The 22-year-old, who was linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, will officially join Bayern on July 1 and has signed a five-year contract.

Bayern Munich director Hasan Salihamidzic said: "We're happy that we've been able to sign Dayot Upamecano. We're convinced that Dayot will be a very important member of our team in the coming years."

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Upamecano reportedly had a release clause worth €42.5 million ($51m) and will bolster the Bayern backline with the Bundesliga club likely to lose defender David Alaba this summer after he rejected Bayern's offer of a new five-year deal.

"Upamecano is a young player, 22, whose qualities have already developed extraordinarily," Salihamidzic said.

"I was always convinced that we had presented a good concept. We presented him with our vision of his career at Bayern. During the past week in Doha I had further talks with everyone involved. At the end of a long process, the players, family and management were convinced that FC Bayern was the right club."

Upamecano will remain with Leipzig until the end of the season. They are are second in the Bundesliga, four points behind Bayern who have a game in hand.

Welcome to day two of our live report of the second India-England Test from Chennai. Join us for updates, analysis and colour. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball commentary here

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

4.30pm: Stumps

India 329 and 53 for 1 (Rohit , Pujara ) lead England 134 (Ashwin 5-43) by 249 runs
India took giant strides towards levelling the series in Chennai after running through England and then building steadily on a 195-run lead. Fifteen wickets fell in the day, R Ashwin claiming five of them in an innings for the 29th time in Tests, as England's hopes of hanging in the contest on a turning pitch were obliterated in two sessions of skittish batting.

England were in trouble from the outset of their reply, losing Rory Burns in the opening over and Joe Root, the batting talisman during three consecutive wins in Sri Lanka and India, before he had managed double - let alone triple - figures. They sneaked past the follow-on mark thanks to a nuggety, unbeaten 42 from Ben Foakes, but India were doubtless content to bat again on their commanding lead, and leave England to worry about facing their demons again on days three and four.

4.20pm: Shots fired (or not)

Which side of the debate are you on? https://t.co/V93gu3FYmh #INDvENG

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 14, 2021

What do we all think of that Rohit lbw appeal, then?

4.15pm: Umpires keeping busy

England's spinners are plugging away gamely, even though the tourists are currently coming third in a two-horse race. And the conditions continue to test the umpires as much as the players, with three outings for the DRS in as many overs. Jack Leach broke the opening stand by trapping Gill - he seemed to told by his partner to review only for Hawk-Eye to show the ball hitting middle and leg. England then asked the question after Moeen turned one into Rohit's front pad, with bat tucked firmly in behind; they thought he wasn't playing a shot, but Virender Sharma and TV umpire Anil Chaudhary took a different view. Next over, Niton Menon gave Rohit out reverse-sweeping at Leach, only for UltraEdge to show some bat involved. Spin, spin, sugar!

3.55pm: Raging debate

We've probably not heard the last of the chuntering about this pitch (though I suspect England will largely keep their counsel), but here's Sidharth Monga to break down one of the key differences between the bowling efforts of either side:

When the ball reached the hands of R Ashwin and Axar Patel the full tosses and the long hops disappeared. In all, England spinners bowled 14 full tosses. On 20 occasions they were cut or pulled. India's spinners were cut or pulled 10 times, and bowled no full toss. And full tosses and being cut or pulled are the extremes; there are many other bad balls spinners can bowl within the spectrum.

Basically as a spinner on such a pitch you know you are in the game if you keep drawing a forward defensive or from on the crease. In a much shorter innings, India's spinners drew the forward-defensive 112 times to England's 115. If you are accurate enough to keep the batsmen tied down, your eventual misbehaving ball is likelier to be more lethal because you will have fielders in place to take the catches. Add to the accuracy the guile of Ashwin's changes of pace, the drift, and then the variations in seam angles from both the spinners to make sure the ball spins less.

Knowing the quality of spin England brought, India knew it was the scoreboard pressure that made them potent in the first Test. That is why they were happy to take the risk of what can sometimes turn out to be a lottery pitch. They didn't just gamble; they backed themselves to negate the toss advantage on such a surface.

Whatever you think of the pitch - and there will be talk around it because it started exploding in the first session of the Test - the side winning this game has played much better cricket, and it wasn't even close. And they did so through a method, skill and discipline, and not through lottery.

3.35pm: Sixy batting

Very few better sights in the game than Rohit Sharma pulling a fast bowler into the crowd.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) February 14, 2021

More signs that India will follow Rohit's "productive" mantra in the second innings, with both openers clearing the boundary ropes early on. Rohit cracked Stone for a flat six over deep square leg to move above Saurav Ganguly as the fifth-highest Indian on this list (and every chance he'll go past Kapil Dev during the course of this innings, too). Shubman Gill, who really didn't get much chance to play himself in after padding up third ball in the first innings, then waltzed out to pump Moeen Ali over long-on. India flying out of the blocks.

3.20pm: Chepauk the talk

Why hasn't Kohli declared yet?! #INDvENG

— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) February 14, 2021

India have resumed their march towards 1-1. With so much time in the game, they can aim to bat pretty much in whatever manner they choose - but you would assume they will continue to be positive, given that wickets have fallen regularly so far. Still won't stop a bit of #declarationspeculation from cropping up at some stage, I should think. Olly Stone and Jack Leach open up for England second time around. Probably not worth wondering about what good picking James Anderson would have done...

3.05pm: Ashwin FTW

R Ashwin wraps it up, claiming his 29th Test five-for to end the England innings on 134. India will have to bat again, sitting on a 195-run lead, and it'll take something of Adelaide proportions to get England back into the contest (and even then you wouldn't fancy them chasing 232 runs here).

Back-to-back five-wicket hauls for R Ashwin in Chennai

India take a first-innings lead of 195 #INDvENG

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 14, 2021

3pm: Screamer Part 2!

Rishabh Pant has clung on to another one-handed pearler, this time to dismiss Jack Leach. England had just saved the follow-on from the previous delivery, Ben Foakes chopping Ishant Sharma for three to bring Leach on strike. Arguably the catch was made to look better than it needed to be because of Pant's footwork, his weight moving to his right before he readjusted late and flung out his left mitt - but it was still an top catch, and India's work is nearly done.

2.50pm:

Sourav Gangu-leach #INDvENG

— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) February 14, 2021

England are inching towards the follow-on target, mainly in singles but Jack Leach has stepped out to pop Patel nonchalantly down the ground. Those following in the UK at just gone 9am on a chilly February morning might think there are more fulfilling things to do on Valentine's Day, such as listen to Will Self read out a love letter to the London underground on Radio 4 (and there's not much more Will Self than eulogising the "strangely rational burrow" and "peculiar origami" of the tube network) - but stick around, because this isn't quite gone the way of the Norwegian Blue yet. If you have given up on England, then why not have a read of Anantha Narayanan's stats breakdown of the most unforgettable draws in Test history. (Not that I'm trying to suggest this match will end up such a list one day. Don't be daft.)

2.08pm: Tea

England 106 for 8 (Foakes 23*) trail India 329 (Rohit 161, Rahane 67, Pant 58*, Moeen 4-128) by 223 runs
India maintained a vice-like grip on the second Test after taking four wickets during the afternoon session in Chennai. R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj - with his first ball in homes Tests - and Axar Patel made the inroads, with England still 24 runs short of avoiding the follow-on mark at tea.

The tourists may have been set an example of how to thrive as well as survive on this surface, but there was no Rohit Sharma-style riposte as England desperately sought a toe-hold in the game. Ben Stokes fell soon after the resumption, his nemesis Ashwin dismissing him for the ninth time in Tests with a beauty that dipped and spun sharply to his off stump.

Siraj had waited almost 40 overs for a bowl, but straight away had Ollie Pope caught down the leg side by a flying Rishabh Pant, after a 35-run stand with Ben Foakes - the highest of the innings. Patel returned to get Moeen Ali, the acrobatics in the field this time performed by Ajinkya Rahane at slip, and when Ashwin had Olly Stone caught at midwicket England had again lost a wicket to the final ball before the break.

The only semblance of resistance came in the shape of Foakes, who faced more deliveries than any of the top six and helped the innings creep into three figures.

1.50pm: The real quiz

Almost tea on Day 2, and we've not had a single bye yet. Impressive work from both keepers on this pitch. #INDvENG

— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) February 14, 2021

1.40pm: Toughing it out

India channel their inner Beatles and England need Help!

Can you come up with a better caption? #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/t758yFurGl

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 14, 2021

Pretty much everything has gone as India and Virat Kohli would have hoped for in this match so far, but Foakes is giving another tidy account of himself on his return to the Test side for the first time in two years (as an aside, there's an unusual number of players in this match playing their first match since 2019: Foakes, Moeen Ali, Olly Stone and Kuldeep Yadav). No byes/leg byes conceded with the gloves, and he's now faced more balls than anyone else in the England innings. Foakes, of course, scored a century on debut in Galle, and went into this game with a 40-plus Test average - higher than any of his team-mates other than Joe Root - so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's looked solid in exacting conditions.

Ben Foakes is having a terrific game. Playing his first Test in India and so assured both behind and in front of the stumps. It's very hard to keep on such a pitch. And he didn't let a single bye. Now he's batting with poise.

— Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) February 14, 2021

1.20pm: Screamer!

Will Siraj even bowl this innings?

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) February 14, 2021

Yes, is the answer, Dale - and he'll get a wicket with his first ball! Not only that, it's come via a flying one-handed catch down the leg side from Rishabh Pant! England had scrimped together the beginnings of a useful stand between Pope and Foakes, but Mohammed Siraj has separated them, as well as striking with his first Test delivery on home soil. Maybe not quite what he was bowling for, Pope looking to glance off his hip, just tickled the glove... and Pant then snagged it in his left paw, managing to juggle the ball successfully as he landed. India's lead is 242 and this game looks to be heading only one way.

12.57pm: Enter Kuldeep

Having bowled unchanged from the start of England's second innings in the first Chennai Test, R Ashwin finally gets a moment to rest his fingers. Time for the twisti-twosti lefty wristy stylings of Kuldeep.

12.50pm: Here come the Rey

It's only 20-plus runs and counting, but England have their biggest partnership of the innings so far. Two Surrey boys are out in the middle, with Ollie Pope looking particularly busy alongside Ben Foakes; both have needed some fortune against Patel, whose ability to straighten the ball from round the wicket or push it on with the arm, allied with good pace, has been impressive - almost Jadeja-esque. Earlier, the Match Day crew broke down why they thought the debutant would be a good pick.

12.30pm: Ashwin snares Stokes (redux)

Five quiet overs after the interval, maybe we'll see another wicketless afternoon session - there's the breakthrough, and it's Ashwin scooping up Stokes' wicket for the ninth time in Tests (and 13th in all internationals). Beautifully flighted, slowed the pace and Stokes seemed to belatedly try to correct himself only to miss the ball by a distance as it spun from middle and leg to judder his off stump. Stokes might be viewed as one of England's better players of spin, but he averages just 17.84 against India's offie. And with that dismissal, Ashwin has overtaken Harbhajan Singh to sit second on the list for most Test wickets in India.

That's lovely bowling.

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) February 14, 2021

12.15pm: Kuldeep lurks in the deep...

Kohli has stuck with the combination of Ashwin and Axar Patel after lunch, with the right-hand/left-hand pair of Stokes and Ollie Pope in the middle. Should England manage to cobble a partnership, then they might have to deal with wristspin, too, at some stage. Kuldeep Yadav is back in the Test team for the first time since the 2018-19 tour of Australia - he spoke to Nagraj Gollapudi before the start of this series about what it would be like to select again:

"I would be playing a Test match after nearly after two years, so it would be similar to making your debut. I want to perform for the team and give 100%, like always. You will naturally feel the same nervousness [as on debut]. There will also be pressure to do well. Everyone is watching you, expectations are big, and when the team is playing well, you want to contribute - big or small, put in the effort, and when you do that, your role is praised."

12.05pm: An Ashwin never forgets

A little nugget picked up by my colleague Gaurav Sundararaman during that action-packed hour before lunch: India lost a review in Ashwin's eighth over, after Virat Kohli was convinced to use the DRS against Stokes - the ball spun sharply to hit the left-hander on the back leg, but was heading over the top of off stump, according to ball-tracking. But you can't blame the bowler for being interested, given this dismissal in Mohali four years ago. Ashwin remembered and could be heard referring to it on the stump mic, though he perhaps failed to factor in the extra bounce on offer in Chennai this time around. Stokes survived, but Ashwin will doubtless get another crack at extending his lead atop this list on the resumption.

11.30am: Lunch

England 39 for 4 (Stokes 8*) trail India 329 (Rohit 161, Rahane 67, Pant 58*, Moeen 4-128) by 290 runs
Eight wickets fell before lunch on day two at Chepauk as India took a grip on the second Test. Most significant of them all was that of Joe Root, England's captain and double-centurion on this ground a week ago, who was removed for 6 by the debutant Axar Patel as England limped queasily to the interval.

India had already forged themselves a strong position on the back of Rohit Sharma's conditions-defying 161, and although they could only add 29 runs to their overnight 300 for 6, the bowlers were soon tucking into their work on a responsive surface. Ishant Sharma trapped Rory Burns lbw in the first over - the opener's second consecutive duck - and R Ashwin then struck twice either side of Root's dismissal. Dom Sibley was caught at short leg off the back of the bat attempting to sweep, and Dan Lawrence's torture was ended with the last ball before lunch after making 9 off 52.

11.07am: No Root rescue act!

Live by the sweep, die by the sweep. Axar Patel, the debutant left-arm spinner, has removed Joe Root cheaply in the first innings for the first time this year. Big splash from the surface as this ball pitched and turned away from Root as he went hard at it, only to send a top edge towards Ashwin at backward square leg... and bring an eruption of noise around Chepauk, as the #knowledgablecrowd greet the dismissal of England's captain and batting bellwether. England 23 for 3 on a turner and in all sorts of trouble.

Root, Pujara and Kohli have struggled on this pitch. Three fair players of spinners there.

— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) February 14, 2021

Meanwhile, news from the India camp is that Cheteshwar Pujara isn't on the field after experiencing some pain in his right hand, having been hit by Olly Stone while batting yesterday.

10.54am: Ashwin amongst 'em

Scratch that, Dom Sibley's dogged resistance has been ended, caught at short leg sweeping - trying to be proactive, in fact. He's a little unlucky, too, as the ball squirted up off his pad and clipped the back of the bat as it swung around. India needed to go to the DRS after Nitin Menon shook his head, but they've checked the right part of the tape this time (and Sibley was walking anyway). R Ashwin has a first wicket for the home crowd to salute and Joe Root, England's best chance of putting a fighting score on the board, is out to the middle half an hour or so before lunch. He's off the mark second ball with a sweep, Lawrence still waiting for his first run.

10.45am: Dig in

"When you play on turning pitches, you've got to be proactive, you can't be reactive." That was Rohit Sharma's advice after bossing the show with his first-innings 161 - were England listening? Dom Sibley and Dan Lawrence, with 20 Tests between them, won't have often faced conditions like this (although, as was pointed out by one wag on Twitter yesterday, Lawrence made a two-ball duck in Essex's title-decider at Taunton in 2019, on a pitch which lived up to its "Ciderbad" billing). Neither has quite taken the Rohit approach so far, but they're hanging in.

10.25am: Burns singed

Test wicket No. 301 for Ishant Sharma. England's batsmen have probably spent the last 24 hours wondering how they are going to cope with India's spinners, but just like yesterday there's an early wicket for pace as Rory Burns misses a straight one from Ishant for his second duck in a row. Just clipping leg stump - umpire's call - on review, but that's the perfect start for the home side, after posting a solid total. England 0 for 1, and they haven't faced a ball from Ashwin, Patel and Yadav yet...

10.10am: That's yer lot

Two in three balls once again, and England have managed to sneak out of this morning without taking too much damage. Olly Stone continued a fine return to Test cricket by removing Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj, both caught behind, and that means Pant was left stranded on 58 not out. He scored 25 of the 29 runs India added to their total this morning, and was good for tonking a few more if he could just find someone to hang around at the other end (admittedly easier said than done on this surface).

9.50am: More Pant pongo

It's been the start we envisaged from Rishabh Pant, and he's quickly raised a half-century - his fourth in home Tests. His sequence of balls faced this morning went like this: 1-dot-dot-6-1-4-4-dot-1, that last single taking him to 50. Not Jack Leach taking tap this time, with Joe Root bowling himself alongside Moeen, who has continued to serve up full tosses in the face of Pant's onslaught. These could all be vital runs.

On the plus side for England, they've still to concede an extra in this innings - is Ben Foakes going to keep a clean sheet, just as he did on debut in Galle a couple of winters ago? They're closing in on the record in Tests, too.

There are mongooses watching this (they rarely watch when cricket is behind a paywall) shaking their head and whispering in awe, 'that Ben Foakes... he's quick!'

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) February 14, 2021

9.40am: Moeen gets going

Two wickets in three balls for Moeen Ali, bowling just the second over of the morning, have got England smiling. Although Moeen's grin was slightly sheepish after a full toss did for Ishant Sharma. The other man to go was Axar Patel, who overbalanced and was smartly stumped by Ben Foakes as the pitch again demonstrated its spinning nature. Pant has so far faced one ball, scored one single, and lost two partners.

9.30am: How good was Rohit?

Just to reflect a little longer on the performance that may have set the course of this match, Rohit Sharma's fabulous innings meant his home average now sits at 83.55 - second only to the Don. Okay, you might quibble that his away record (average: 27.00) could do with improving, but there's not many that could have played the innings he did on Saturday. Never mind Bradman, it was right in the Sehwag bracket. In these conditions, you can't get much higher praise.

9.20am:

#AskMatchDay - What's a good first-innings score for India?@Ian_Bell and @sanjaymanjrekar answer your queries on Match Day Live#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/kQgwEl7YgQ

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 14, 2021

Morning and welcome back. Hands up who likes it spicy? India looked to have got themselves into a good position at the end of day one thanks to a Rohit Sharma masterclass, and they'll hope to add a few more this morning before it's England turn to tango on this dancing Chepauk deck. The suspicion is that 300-plus could already be a defining total, but Rishabh Pant won't want to stop there - and if the pitch continues to snap, crackle and pop, it should be plenty fun to watch. Buckle up.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Britain's Francesca Jones won her first WTA Tour main-draw match with victory over Zheng Saisai at the Phillip Island Trophy.

Victory over the world number 44 was Jones' first win over a top-100 player.

She will break into the top 200 in the rankings for the first time when they are next published this month.

At the same event, which is being held at Melbourne Park at the same time as the venue is hosting the Grand Slam, there was further misery for 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Kenin, whose title defence ended in the second round last week, lost on Sunday to Australian teenager Olivia Gadecki.

The American world number four was stunned 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 by the 18-year-old world number 727.

Later on Sunday, Britain's three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray will play in the final of the ATP Challenger in Biella, Italy, where he takes on Ukrainian Illya Marchenko.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend questioned Zander Fagerson's red card and a last-minute penalty call as his side were edged out by Wales.

Jones barged over three minutes later, with two tries from Louis Rees-Zammit and one from Liam Williams earning Wales a 25-24 win.

"I'm more just questioning the process," Townsend told BBC Scotland.

"It took a long while to see a replay [of the red card]. We saw slow motion, one angle and then there was another delay in getting more decisions.

"These are important parts of the game. Obviously if he did touch the head - I thought initially he got under and clear of the head - but if he did touch the head, then it starts at red and you mitigate down because of the late movement.

"That's what the TMO was hinting to the referee [Matt Carley] but the referee made the decisions and you have to abide with it and deal with it."

World Rugby, Law 9: Foul Play

20. Dangerous play in a ruck or maul.

a. A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without binding onto another player in the ruck or maul.

b. A player must not make contact with an opponent above the line of the shoulders.

Scotland threatened to snatch a late victory when Duhan van der Merwe broke down the right touchline in overtime at Murrayfield, but Owen Watkin's terrific tap tackle halted the Scotland wing.

Townsend felt his side should have been awarded a penalty at the resulting ruck.

"I'm convinced we won a penalty on that right-hand side there," he said. "Chris Harris was on the ball for about five seconds before he got told to get off it.

"Sometimes these things don't go your way and you need to be ahead on the scoreboard in the last two minutes and not behind."

Tries from Darcy Graham and Stuart Hogg had Scotland 17-3 up in the first-half, with an opportunity to kick for goal to extend their lead to 17 points.

In the end, Wales defended stoutly before adding a try of their own before the break, and Scotland's Gary Graham had a score disallowed shortly after the interval before Wales responded through Williams.

Townsend backed his players' decision not to go for goal, but rued wasted chances and some ill-discipline.

He added: "Not scoring the try when we were on the line - that would have helped things then the red card made it tough.

"Our discipline let us down today, and not just the red card. Penalties in the first and second-half. That's the difference really between getting a very good performance to a Championship-contending performance.

"I firmly believe in this team and with the confidence they have in the way in they're playing they can be a match for anybody, in any stadium.

"We know we've got a big opportunity over in Paris but I would back the players to bounce back after today."

It may only be round two of the 2021 Six Nations but Ireland have declared Sunday's match with unbeaten France as a "must win" for their title ambitions.

France are on an upward curve under head coach Fabien Galthie and will aim to cement their own championship credentials by winning in Dublin for the first time since 2011.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has made four enforced changes from the side that lost in Cardiff last weekend.

Captain Johnny Sexton and second row James Ryan have failed to recover from concussion, scrum-half Conor Murray has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and flanker Peter O'Mahony is suspended.

Ulster fly-half Billy Burns and Leinster scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park make their first Six Nations starts, while Ulster lock Iain Henderson captains the side for the first time.

France have made two changes to the side that hammered Italy.

Clermont wing Damien Penaud replaces Teddy Thomas and Castres' Anthony Jelonch comes in for Dylan Cretin in at blindside flanker, with Thomas and Cretin dropping to the bench.

Commentator's notes

Eddie Butler: France have tweaked their team, bringing in Penaud to deal with Ireland's aerial threat to the wings, and Jelonch to add toughness to the back-row.

As for the home team, their future is suddenly their present - no Sexton and no Murray. Gibson-Park and Burns still fit an Irish template that works: kick high to get close to the line and then let the forwards rumble. France have selected accordingly.

Similarly, Rhys Ruddock and Gibson-Park may be briefed to deal with a specific threat - a pair chosen to keep Antoine Dupont in check. All very intriguing. Ireland 24 France 25

View from both camps

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: "Every Test week always presents its own challenges. There has been a lot going on this week but we're a squad and we've been a squad since we met up. Everyone has been swapping in and out.

"You always have at the back of your mind the 'what if' scenarios and here we are. We will give it our best shot, there is no doubt about that."

France head coach Fabien Galthie: "Penaud fits the profile of the type of player which will allow us to be present in a sector of the game we imagine the Irish will rely on a lot, going down the blindside and also putting the ball up in the air."

"He, to me, appears prepared for this type of battle."

Line-ups

Ireland: 15-Keenan, 14-Earls, 13-Ringrose, 12-Henshaw, 11-Lowe, 10-Burns, 9-Gibson-Park; 1-Healy, 2-Herring, 3-Porter, 4-Beirne, 5-Henderson (capt), 6-Ruddock, 7-Van der Flier, 8-Stander.

Replacements: 16-Kelleher, 17-E Byrne, 18-Furlong, 19-Dillane, 20-Connors, 21-Casey, 22-R Byrne, 23-Larmour.

France: 15-Dulin, 14-Penaud, 13-Vincent, 12-Fickou, 11-Villiere, 10-Jalivert, 9-Dupont; 1-Baille, 2-Marchand, 3-Haouas, 4-Le Roux, 5-Willemse; 6-Jelonch, 7-Ollivon (capt), 8-Alldritt.

Replacements: 6-Bourgarit, 17-Kolingar, 18-Atonio, 19-Taofifenua, 20-Cretin, 21-Serin, 22-Bouthier, 23-Thomas.

Match facts

Head-to-head

Ireland

France

Match officials

Referee: Luke Pearce (England)

Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) & Christophe Ridley (England)

TMO: Tom Foley (England)

Who said lightning could not strike twice? Rees lightning, that is.

Especially when Wales have also been ravaged by injuries and started the tournament as fifth favourites in some quarters.

Well a little bit of luck, opposition ill-discipline, admirable character and the star quality of 20-year-old Louis Rees-Zammit have combined to produce a stark turnaround.

A breathless Murrayfield match left Wales fans wondering what they witnessed fewer than six days after the crazy contest against Ireland.

But the hard facts are that Wayne Pivac's side left Edinburgh with a bonus-point win and the first away victory of his tenure after trailing 17-3.

They are looking at early silverware after three rounds of the 2021 Six Nations despite finishing fifth in last season's tournament. And they haven't even played that well.

Lightning Louis

Let's start with the man of the moment. The 20-year-old Gloucester wing demonstrated his try-scoring poacher's prowess in the 21-16 win over Ireland with a fantastic finish to help seal victory in Cardiff.

That was just the warm-up act. His brace against Scotland, especially the stunning second solo try, suggests Wales have a superstar in the making.

The man of the match even executed a brilliant banana kick in the dying minutes to help seal the victory by pinning Scotland back.

"With the ball he was exciting, took his opportunities and played very well," said Pivac.

"He's still got work to do on his game and that's the exciting thing, without the ball. He's going to be a very exciting player for us.

"He has got the confidence and pace, which you can't coach.

"He's very quick and took that opportunity very well. The skill with the kick was magnificent, I'm pleased for him."

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones is 15 years older than the prodigy.

"I'd heard a lot about him and seen a lot of highlights," said Jones.

"Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't want to heap the pressure on him, I want him to continue in the similar vein."

Red mist

Wales cannot deny they have benefitted from their opponents' ill-discipline.

Ireland flanker Peter O'Mahony was sent off for a forearm to the face of Tomas Francis before Scotland prop Zander Fagerson suffered a similar fate after his shoulder challenge on prop Wyn Jones.

"It's tough," said Alun Wyn Jones.

"I feel for Zander, but as players we all have to follow the remit and we've got to be careful ourselves now because I'm sure the microscope will be on us."

Pivac believes it could prove a turning point for players.

"There's nothing else the officials can do," said Pivac.

"The law is pretty clear-cut now. It's one of those unfortunate things. Players will have to look carefully about how they enter those rucks."

The character factor

So the Wales class of 2021 have ridden their luck and will not claim they have become world beaters in the space of a week. They have not.

They have, though, shown grit in abundance along the way. Wales arrived in Murrayfield with a quarter of their 36-man squad on the sidelines and the likes of George North, Jonathan Davies, Johnny Williams, Tomos Williams and Josh Navidi ruled out through injury. Twenty-one players were missing in total.

Players such as debutant Willis Halaholo and recalled James Botham were drafted in at short notice and excelled as replacements.

Pivac has received criticism but also demonstrated courage in bringing off experienced but ineffective half-backs Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies for Callum Sheedy and Kieran Hardy, a gamble that paid off.

Wales made 245 tackles in the victory over Ireland and overcame a backline reshuffle in both games which resulted in players performing out of position for long periods.

Overcoming adversity has also been evident, with centre Owen Watkin a prime example. Watkin had been easily outflanked by skipper Stuart Hogg for Scotland's second try, but popped up with a match-winning tap tackle. This came a week after a last-ditch Justin Tipuric tackle on Ireland centre Garry Ringrose in the final minutes.

Under Warren Gatland, Wales won games they should not have. There is evidence to suggest that resilience is returning.

"We have shown a lot of character," said Pivac.

"It's a pleasing start. With the short turnaround, it was a great result for our team, especially going deep into the squad in certain positions with the injuries we had. It bodes well for the future and been a good squad effort.

"I'm pleased for the players as they've worked so hard. They've had a good two weeks in camp, longer than they usually have away from their families.

"So a result like this in a tense game is pleasing for management and players."

His comments were echoed by his skipper who has been backed up by elder statesmen Ken Owens, Taulupe Faletau and the imperious Tipuric, while Wyn Jones and Adam Beard have also impressed.

"Again we had to come from behind and it was good to see that character and resilience," said Jones.

"The senior guys are still trying to put those performances in and lead by example. I'm privileged to work with guys who continue to add value.

"There is a set of players here not afraid to lead and set standards."

New year, fresh start

So what has changed from the struggling side in 2020 who won just three games in 10 under Pivac?

"It's well documented what we did in the autumn and that was in view of the 2023 World Cup, building some depth," added Pivac.

"You saw with the side we put out, we've had to call on depth at six and in the midfield, and everybody put their hand up when they needed to. We're busy working as a group. The atmosphere at training is good and senior players are leading well.

"It's a lot of work by a lot of individuals, a squad effort. It's a long way to go but we're happy to have those nine points."

Jones believes Wales are benefitting from the autumn disappointment.

"What you're seeing as well is a product of the experimentation from the Autumn Nations Cup and the hurt we took," said the veteran lock.

"We're well aware there are massive improvements to make, but I'm pleased with the resilience, character and pride in the jersey we're showing."

England awaits

So Eddie Jones' side lie in wait in Cardiff after following up their opening defeat by Scotland with victory over Italy.

Wales could have key players like North, Navidi, Jonathan Davies and Josh Adams back in contention, but there will be doubts over full-back Leigh Halfpenny, who failed a head injury assessment after going off at Murrayfield.

"We're aware England had a good win (against Italy) and are back on track," said Jones.

"We'll be back at the Principality Stadium so we'll regroup and improve on the parts we need to."

Although lineout issues were resolved against Scotland, Pivac knows the overall performance will have to improve significantly if Wales are to win that Triple Crown, even if there will be no fans in the ground.

"It was evident for everyone it wasn't a complete performance (against Scotland)," added Pivac.

"Alun Wyn has spoken about that in the changing room and we'll address our game over the next couple of weeks.

"This is only round two of the tournament and we'll expect to improve each time we take the field."

So can lightning strike twice? Just remember Wales stuttered to victories in the opening two rounds of the 2019 Six Nations before an emphatic home victory over England laid the foundations for Grand Slam success.

What chance a repeat?