MOORESVILLE, N.C. – For the past eight years, clutch specialist and sportsman racer Dallas Glenn has been fully immersed in Pro Stock and with the help of RAD Torque Systems and Silver State Plumbing, a lifelong dream of driving in the factory hot rod class is coming to fruition this year.

“RAD Torque Systems and Silver State Plumbing have really made this Pro Stock dream a reality for me,” Glenn revealed. “I’ve been dreaming of racing Pro Stock since I was a little kid and when Jason [Line] and Bo [Butner] stepped away from driving last year, there was a car available. RAD Torque Systems and Silver State Plumbing stepped up and it was a no-brainer.”

Glenn has made a name for himself at the sportsman level with a top ten finish in Stock Eliminator’s national points in 2009 and a Super Gas win at the spring Las Vegas national event in 2010. More recently, he pulled off an impressive double-up in Top and Mod at the IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Darlington Dragway in 2019.

Currently, the 30-year-old Mooresville, N.C.-resident plans on running four races this season to get his feet wet in the category but is open to competing in more races if additional funding comes along. Glenn will still serve as Kyle Koretsky’s car chief on race weekends he isn’t competing.

Glenn will make his NHRA Pro Stock debut at the 52nd annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals held on March 12-14 at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.

CONCORD, N.C. – Spire Motorsports announced Thursday that General Formulations, Mutoh America and Royal Sovereign have combined resources to provide state-of-the-art vinyl wrapping, printing and laminating solutions for the team’s NASCAR Cup Series effort.

General Formulations will expand its NASCAR footprint while also incorporating industry partnerships with Mutoh America and Royal Sovereign to provide Spire Motorsports with a comprehensive suite of resources to wrap the team’s Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Camaros, transporters and pit equipment.

“General Formulations is extremely excited to expand our NASCAR footprint as a NASCAR Cup Series team sponsor with Spire Motorsports for the 2021 season,” said Matt Edwards, Product Manager, General Formulations. “Our AutoMark™ high-quality vinyl wrap films will be used to wrap all Spire Motorsports cars and race transporters. We’re looking forward to our new partnership and seeing the General Formulations logo displayed on the team’s cars. We wish the entire team the best of luck in 2021.”

The trio of entities will be featured as co-primary sponsors aboard Spire’s No. 77 Chevrolet with Justin Haley at the controls in March at Phoenix Raceway and later in the year at Michigan Int’l Speedway. All three organizations will also maintain an associate sponsorship presence throughout the season.

Founded in 1953, General Formulations is family owned and headquartered in Sparta, Mich., with more than 450,000 square feet of manufacturing and converting space. General Formulations is a worldwide manufacturer of high quality wide and narrow format digital print, cut and craft and screen and offset pressure-sensitive films for the sign and graphic industries.

Meanwhile, Mutoh America and Royal Sovereign will supply the team with welcome efficiencies, providing printers, cutters and laminators to expedite the printing and car wrapping processes. The forward-looking partnership will allow Spire Motorsports to manage its printing, wrapping and laminating needs entirely in-house.

Mutoh America, Phoenix, Ariz., and Mutoh Industries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1952, is a leading manufacturer of wide- and small-format printers and plotting cutters. Known for their smart printing technologies, Mutoh’s award winning digital equipment is a “go to” brand in the custom vehicle wrap industry.

“We are proud that Spire Motorsports has chosen the Mutoh XpertJet printer and ValueCut cutter as their exclusive solution for wrapping their Nos.7 and 77 cars along with their race transporters for the 2021 NASCAR season,” stated Brian Phipps, President of Mutoh America Inc., “We are excited to have our printers and cutters used in the NASCAR Cup Series by a top-notch team like Spire Motorsports.”

“Royal Sovereign is proud to be part of the Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series Program in 2021 through our joint partnership with Mutoh and General Formulations,” added Carl Hoffman, Royal Sovereign Graphics Director of Sales. “We are honored to be part of a partnership that reflects our dedication to the racing industry. Our Sigmont 65H laminator will be an integral part of this three-way partnership. The Sigmont 65H laminator is designed and engineered to provide everyday convenience to the user specializing in wide format digital print finishing.”

The 2021 season gets underway next weekend with the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway. The 63rd running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, February 14, 2021 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The first of 36 races on the 2021 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“We’re both proud and grateful that General Formulations, Mutoh America and Royal Sovereign see the value in Spire Motorsports and the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “From the team’s perspective, it doesn’t take long to realize the benefits of having a turnkey printing and graphics shop in house. We’ve already realized those efficiencies many times over. It’s an exciting time for Spire Motorsports. We can feel the momentum building and the excitement in the shop is palatable.”

SANDUSKY, Ohio — ThorSport Racing confirmed Thursday will field four Toyota Tundra trucks during the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and beyond.

ThorSport Racing previously fielded Toyota entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2012 to ’17 before switching to Ford for the last three seasons.

“We’re all looking forward to kicking off the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season as we welcome ThorSport Racing back to the Toyota Racing family,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager for Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America. “This is a great team with an impressive line-up of drivers. Our previous relationship yielded success in the form of race wins and two driver championships for Matt Crafton. We’re looking forward to working with the team again and adding to our accolades together as we focus in on contending for Toyota’s 12th Truck Series manufacturer’s title.”

The only major change to the ThorSport Racing driver lineup comes in the No. 98 Toyota Tundra, which was driven by Grant Enfinger last year. This season the No. 98 will be shared by Enfinger and new ThorSport signee Christian Eckes.

Eckes is set to tentatively compete in 10 races in the No. 98, with his first race to be at the Daytona Int’l Speedway Road Course. The team will be led by Jeriod Prince as he moves into crew chief position from the No. 88 truck chief role.

The 2016 Camping World Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter is set to pilot the No. 13 Toyota Tundra with returning partner Sakar Int’l and its brand Vivitar. Joe Shear Jr. will serve as Sauter’s crew chief.

Three-time series champion Matt Crafton returns to the No. 88 Toyota with long-time partner Menards along with vendor partners, Ideal Door, ZEP, Slim Jim, Flex Seal, Hormel Black Label Bacon, Denali Aire, Mold Armor, Great Lakes Flooring, Jack Links, Chi-Chi’s and Oklahoma Joes. Carl Joiner Jr. will lead the team as crew chief.

Ben Rhodes is back behind the wheel of the No. 99 Toyota as he welcomes a new partner, Bombardier. Rich Lushes has taken over as crew chief following his move from the No. 13 truck chief position.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Officials from the Music City Grand Prix have announced additions to the ownership group for the inaugural urban street race in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 6-8.

Among those joining the group include Grammy Award-winning artist Justin Timberlake, who in 2011 backed late British driver Dan Wheldon’s winning effort in the Indianapolis 500 through a sponsorship with his clothing company, William Rast.

The ownership group will also include former Delta Airlines Chief Operating Officer Gil West, and NASCAR team owner and former driver Justin Marks. Just last month, Marks’ Trackhouse Racing team announced a new addition to his team – Grammy Award-winning Latin artist Pitbull.

“I am incredibly proud of the ownership group we have assembled,” says Matt Crews, CEO of Music City Grand Prix, “Our group combines game changers in the world of business, music and motorsports. Each brings something unique to the table that will be invaluable as we merge motorsports, music and food into a one-of-a-kind event. This event will be one to remember and one to be celebrated year after year in the heart of Music City. We look forward to the team’s unique perspectives and the magic that soon will become the inaugural Music City Grand Prix.”

Other Owners Include:

Teddy Phillips – CEO Phillips and Jordan, Inc.
Kevin Clayton – President & CEO of Clayton Homes
Scott Borchetta-President & CEO of the Big Machine Label Group Scott Borchetta
Brad Lager-Chairman & CEO Herzog Contracting Corporation
J.R. Hand-President/CEO Hand Family Companies
Darby Campbell- Owner and President of Safe Harbor Development
Stanton Barrett – Movie Director, Stunt Coordinator, Race Car Driver
Drew Kitchen – Attorney Maynard Cooper
Andy Moats – EVP/Music Sports & Entertainment at Pinnacle Financial Partners
Amish Purohit – Alpha Development
John Thompson – CEO MTA Distributors
Ace Harrington- COO MTA Distributors

After a cluster of postponements this week, the NHL has mandated additional in-arena protocols to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Beginning with Thursday's games, the glass will be removed behind the teams' benches, sources said. The belief is this measure will help increase airflow in arenas.

Sources also said that players and coaches are no longer allowed to arrive to arenas until one hour, 45 minutes before puck drop -- with an exception for players receiving medical treatment. Teams also are being asked to use additional locker room space for themselves and opponents to help enforce better social distancing. The league also is considering asking teams to use portable air cleaners behind the benches "to improve indoor air quality and mitigate airborne viral transmission."

Sportsnet first reported on these changes.

There had been some concern raised by teams about the lag time between daily PCR testing and puck drop. The NBA also began its season with daily PCR testing but switched to rapid tests to get results before tipoff.

In an email, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL already uses rapid testing "where deemed helpful or necessary."

"I would say we are committed to layering in more rapid testing as we go forward," Daly said.

Three teams -- the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild -- had to temporarily shut down their season and postpone multiple games due to the NHL's COVID protocols.

Since the season began Jan. 13, 22 games have been postponed and around 90 players have appeared on the league's COVID protocol related absence list. A player's status on the list doesn't necessarily mean he tested positive for the coronavirus; often, a player can end up on the list if he is deemed a close contact or because of travel and quarantine restrictions.

Bryson DeChambeau shot 5-under 65 in the first round of the Saudi International, no thanks to his prodigious driving.

DeChambeau said it was his short game on Thursday that kept him within four shots of the 18-hole lead.

“Huge,” he said when asked to describe the importance of his wedge work and putting in Round 1. “Getting up and down on [No.] 7, on 4, didn't do it on 3, but hit a good wedge on 2, unbelievable bunker shot out of the desert on 1.

“Time and time again, really, really great wedge shots around the greens and a lot of nicely struck putts.”

DeChambeau made seven birdies and two bogeys at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club , which offers only two par 5s. The 27-year-old American said he wasn’t able to hit the ball as hard or as far as he would have liked, that because he was a little off, he didn’t trust himself to wail away.

Why was he a little off? DeChambeau chalked that up to the lengthy travel to the Middle East and his many pre-tournament obligations which come from accepting appearance fees.

“It's just more of my body isn't feeling 100 percent from the travel over, and not like I thought it would. I had a lot of things to do these past couple nights, so I haven't been able to work out the way I wanted to,” he said. “I got a speed training session in yesterday, but wasn't enough to get my [ball] speeds over 200 [mph] and be comfortable with it. Once you start hitting it wayward my brain just kind of retracts to not wanting to swing as fast. I could hit it really far, hit it over 200 [mph], but it could go anywhere.”

Despite not being able to surpass 200 mph ball speed in Rd. 1 – and having never done it in competition – DeChambeau did claim that he “got it to 217 [mph]” in one of his training sessions.

The full-back position has typically been one of sturdy competence for the United States men's national team. At right-back, you've been witness to the Steve Cherundolos and Timmy Chandlers of the world; the pickings have been a bit slimmer at times on the left, but players like DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson have still brought professionalism and occasionally exciting play to the position. There's sturdy professional upside, and there's Jordi Alba- or Dani Alves-level upside: in Sergino Dest, the USMNT now has a starting Barcelona full-back in its player pool.

Dest's rise from Ajax youth prospect to Barcelona starter took place in what felt like milliseconds. Let's take a look at what kind of player he is becoming, and what he might have to offer for the U.S. and manager Gregg Berhalter.

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First, the timeline:

Born in the Netherlands to an American father and Dutch mother, Dest made his Ajax B-team (Jong Ajax) debut as a 17-year old in October 2018, less than two months before Berhalter was hired to lead the USMNT. By the following July, Dest had been promoted to the senior squad; he would play in 20 of 25 Eredivisie matches for the Dutch powerhouse in 2019-20, plus 10 of 12 Champions League and Europa League matches.

Having represented the United States at both the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and the Under-20 World Cup in 2019, Dest officially committed to playing for the United States early in the 2019-20 season and has since made five appearances for his country. He played most of last fall's friendlies against Wales and Panama, completing 86% of his passes with eight ball recoveries.

By this point, you could say his status within America's first-choice lineup had been fast-tracked. Having already played in the Champions League before his 19th birthday, he had moved to Barcelona before his 20th. Despite rampant budget issues, the Blaugrana acquired him on Oct. 1 for more than €20 million and quickly plugged him into the lineup. He's played in 15 of 20 La Liga matches and played the full 90 minutes in five of six Champions League group-stage matches.

Although he has split his minutes between right- and left-back for the national team, Dest has been deployed primarily on the right at Barca, either because that's where manager Ronald Koeman thinks he's most capable or because Alba remains a mainstay at left-back. Dest has logged a goal and an assist, but his primary job has been to move the ball from the second level of the defense to the third. Turns out he's quite good at it.

(The above shows where he tends to make the most plays and progressions and, no surprise for a Barcelona player, he spends most of his time way up the pitch.)

The full-back position is a tricky one to evaluate in a statistical sense, as it depends so comprehensively on the system at hand. But comparing him to other full-backs and wing-backs in Europe's big five leagues, we figure out both his strengths and his specific duties pretty quickly.

Among the 150 big-five full-backs and wing-backs with at least 750 league minutes this season, Dest's pass completion rate (90.4%) ranks first, as does his completion rate into the attacking third (90.0%). No, these have not been long-distance passes, and yes, a lot of these passes have gone to Lionel Messi, which is to say they are high-percentage opportunities. But his accuracy and his speed on the ball get the ball where it needs to be almost every time. He's also in the 99th percentile in completion rate from the middle third (92.8%) and in the 93rd percentile from the defensive third (82.6%).

Dest has been excellent at retaining possession -- his 12.1 possessions lost per 90 minutes are in the 95th percentile -- and he is more than willing to attempt one-on-ones (3.1 take-ons per 90, 55% success rate). Stylistically, he fits nicely with the Kyle Walker or Ferland Mendy type of full-back. Or yes, Alba himself.

One major reason for his high completion rate in attacking positions: he doesn't attempt crosses. He ranks in the 24th percentile in cross attempts (1.9 per 90) and in the 14th in cross completion rate (10.5%). This is part of Koeman's general approach: Barcelona attempt only 14.6 crosses per 90 minutes, third lowest in La Liga. This promotes ball retention and through short passing patterns, take-ons and, yes, Messi, Barcelona still lead the league in chances created.

For a possession-heavy team like Barcelona, the most direct effort in defense is not allowing the opponent to have the ball. Dest is brilliant in that regard, and that's good because he's got room to grow in the actual defense department. He ranks in the first percentile -- the very bottom, in other words -- with 9.1 defensive interventions (defined as ball recoveries, tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocked shots and aerials won in the defensive third) per 90 minutes. He averages 5.1 ball recoveries per 90 (38th percentile), but only 0.4 pass interceptions (first percentile). He's good for the occasional tactical foul, but he was not acquired for his tackling ability, which is still very much a work in progress.

All of this fits with Barcelona's defensive profile at the moment. Like plenty of possession teams, the Blaugrana get caught a decent amount on counter-attacks; they are seventh in La Liga in shots allowed per possession (0.10), but they're sixth worst in xG allowed per shot (0.13). Dest's stats appear to very much be a product of the system, for better and worse. When asked to apply more pressure, it seems like he can -- he averaged 11.2 defensive interventions per 90 last season with Ajax and 13.4 with Jong Ajax the season before.

Still, Koeman wants to build from the back and hog the ball, and Dest is a lovely piece in this regard.

Berhalter wants to do these things, too. Since the start of 2020, the U.S. has played five friendlies, three against vastly overmatched CONCACAF opponents (Trinidad & Tobago, Panama, El Salvador) and two against more solid foes (Wales, Costa Rica). Against the former, they romped by a combined 19-2; they struggled offensively against the latter, beating Costa Rica 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Wales.

- The U.S. overwhelmed the three overmatched foes with pressure and possession. They possessed the ball 64% of the time, completed nearly 88% of their (mostly short) passes, made more than 50 ball recoveries in each match and allowed just 9.3 passes per defensive action. (For context, only three big-five teams have allowed fewer than 9.3 PPDA so far this season: Leeds United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.)
- Against Wales and Costa Rica, the offense disappeared, but the principles remained: 61% possession, 88% completion rate, 49 ball recoveries per match and a frantic, Ajax-like 8.6 PPDA.

Berhalter is doing a solid job of establishing his intended principles -- granted, against mostly sketchy competition -- and he's doing it despite having yet to really narrow down the player pool. In these five matches, for instance, he's played 11 different full-backs for at least a handful of minutes -- everyone from potential regulars like Dest, Boavista's Reggie Cannon and the Colorado Rapids' Sam Vines, to less-tested youngsters like Atlanta United's George Bello and the LA Galaxy's Julian Araujo.

It's exciting, then, to think about what might be possible with a stable, truly first-choice lineup. It's also exciting to realize that, in addition to Dest, the possession-and-pressure theme is pretty constant with the teams a lot of the members of this potential first-choice lineup play for.

- Winger/attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic -- Chelsea: The Blues' possession rate has been more than 60% for Pulisic's entire tenure, and new coach Thomas Tuchel, who worked with Pulisic at Borussia Dortmund, is a PPDA true believer.
- Winger Giovanni Reyna -- Borussia Dortmund: BVB have the highest possession rate (62%) in the Bundesliga and are second in PPDA (10.3), and despite having just turned 18, Reyna has already logged more than 1,500 Bundesliga minutes with the club.
- Midfielder Weston McKennie -- Juventus: McKennie arrived with new manager Andrea Pirlo, who is quickly turning Juve into a modern possession club: they're second in Serie A in possession rate (58.6%) and first in PPDA (9.9).
- Defensive midfielder Tyler Adams -- RB Leipzig: The Red Bull machine has quickly become an avatar for modern soccer, and flagship Leipzig are currently both excellent (Adams scored the winning goal to send them to the Champions League semifinals last season) and possession dominant.
- Goalkeeper Zack Steffen -- Manchester City: Steffen played for Berhalter's Columbus Crew SC and has now made eight appearances for Pep Guardiola's Man City. Safe to say, he knows what's required of the modern sweeper keeper and play-out-of-the-back intentions.

Plenty of others in the player pool are employed by either heavy-possession or heavy-pressure sides: defenders like John Brooks (VfL Wolfsburg), Cannon (Boavista), Chris Richards (TSG Hoffenheim on loan from Bayern) and Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), midfielders like Julian Green (Greuther Furth) and Brenden Aaronson (FC Salzburg), attackers/wingers like Jordan Morris (Swansea on loan from Seattle Sounders FC), Timothy Weah (Lille), Konrad de la Fuente (Barca), etc.

The lineups the United States field when the real matches begin -- Olympic qualifying in March, the CONCACAF Nations League finals in June, the Gold Cup (and perhaps the Olympics) in July, World Cup qualifying in the fall -- will boast an increasing amount of not only young talent, but also tactical familiarity.

Dest will almost certainly be a huge part of Berhalter's plans. When he signed with Barca, he told ESPN, "You want to play every game against the best opponents and see where you're at right now with your development. I think there's enough room for me to improve, but I am on a good [path] and I like these games."

With each level he's advanced -- from the Dutch second division to the Dutch first division to La Liga -- his pass completion rates have improved, and his expected assist totals have remained steady. He might not be Alba or Alves yet, but he's meeting the challenge. That should be very good news for both his and the USMNT's future.

Big Picture

The stands may be silent at Chepauk this week, but the crackle of electricity will be visceral all the same. The return of international cricket to India after more than 12 months of Covid-enforced absence will bring a wall of emotion shuddering through the contest, irrespective of the sport's current haunted state. Is it worth the emotional toil, of quarantine and of extended separations, just for the chance to put bat on ball in an otherwise deserted field? Ask any of Friday's combatants that question or any of the millions tuning in around the world to one of the true marquee sporting rivalries of the 21st century - including, for the first time in more than 15 years, a terrestrial audience in the UK - and you won't have to dig deep for your answer.

The timing of this contest could scarcely be more fascinating either. In their very different ways and in vastly different conditions, both England and India arrive in this series flushed with form and confidence. India's achievement last month, battling back through ignominy, injury and insult to turn the tables in Australia with one of the gutsiest team performances ever witnessed, is already the stuff of legend. It cements, too, their status as overwhelming favourites, especially as they return to more familiar surroundings. They have lost just once on home soil in their last 35 Tests, while dating back to England's triumphant tour in 2012-13 was the last time any visiting side claimed a series. Steve Waugh wasn't bluffing when he referred, many moons ago, to India as the final frontier. It truly is one of the most daunting challenges in the sport.

But England, with a renewed focus on Test cricket since their World Cup triumph in 2019 have arrived with a frisson of momentum that cannot be dismissed as a fluke. After spluttering along in the old format for the best part of four years - including their last visit to India in 2016-17 when they were dispatched 4-0 with barely a whimper - they come into this series with evidence of improvements in all conditions and departments. Five overseas victories in a row include two hard-fought wins in Sri Lanka last month, where they may have been gifted a few golden opportunities to claim the upper hand but still had to dig deep to close out the contests. And in Joe Root, resplendent in Sri Lanka with 426 runs in two Tests and now gearing up for his 100th Test, England bring with them arguably the most accomplished player of spin they have ever produced, not to mention a captain eager to make up for lost time.

The series promises, too, a fascinating amalgam of methods - perhaps never better expressed than by India's final-day surge at the Gabba last month, where Cheteshwar Pujara's unyieldingly dour half-century showcased everything that is good and proper about old-school Test-match obduracy. That, only for the scintillating swordsmanship of Shubman Gill in the first instance, and Rishabh Pant at the climax, to hack through Australia's fading hopes in the best and freshest traditions of modern T20 batting.

The manner of that victory also demonstrated that those who fear for Test cricket's relevance in the T20 age simply haven't been paying enough attention to the grand old format's proven ability to shape-shift and assimilate. It has absorbed and adapted to meet changing trends all through its existence, and it is arguably doing so again as we speak, with the lockdown lifestyle turning the sport into more of a mental battle than ever before.

This week, a litany of combatants - Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Rory Burns and maybe Moeen Ali too - will emerge blinking into the ferocity of a Test match after weeks in stasis, without so much as a middle practice to whet their whistles. Who knows, the upshot might be a contest more akin to a laboratory experiment than a standard Test match - but who could dare suggest that is a less compelling reason to tune in? After the scenes witnessed in Brisbane, when a team of net bowlers and IPL starlets brought about the end to one of sport's most storied unbeaten runs, there's no point in trying to second-guess what the right mental attitude can achieve in these extraordinary times.

And when it comes to the mental stakes, England can play that sort of a game too - the template for India's Gabba run-chase wasn't that far removed from England's own victory over Australia at Headingley in 2019, a contest in which Stokes played both the Pujara and the Pant role to perfection. And let's not overlook the timeless mastery of James Anderson and Stuart Broad either, who have been busy this winter reframing the virtues of line and length for Test cricket's new age. Relentless pressure, allied to imperceptible variation that can only be honed through experience proved once again that defence can often be the best means of attack in Asian conditions.

But where those two veterans are concerned, it may yet be a case of either/or for this contest as England balance the need for a strong start with the danger of burning through their resources too quickly. Besides, England also have in their ranks the not-insignificant figure of Archer, whose MVP-winning exploits at the recent IPL will surely influence the manner in which he is unleashed in the coming days. Root was guilty of over-using him in his early Test days, but his handling of Mark Wood in Sri Lanka - in short bursts for the most part, bar one gut-busting effort in the second Test - was far more sympathetic.

Archer's mindset, in fact, is a tale in itself. Few cricketers have looked quite as fed up by the experience of life in lockdown as he did on a media Zoom call in the lead-up to the Chennai Test, but how he processes that frustration could be a key indicator of where this series can be won and lost. As Jurgen Klopp put it in Liverpool's run to their Premier League title, you need "mentality giants" in times of duress. And no small measure of skill either, of course.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WDWLL
England WWDDW

In the spotlight

In a series dripping with sub-plots before a ball has even been bowled, the return of Virat Kohli is one of the juiciest of all. India's captain missed their historic win in Australia after choosing to fly home for the birth of his first daughter, and though he lived the triumph vicariously through social media - a medium through which he's also made it abundantly clear he has no regrets - his absence has opened quite the can of worms in the captaincy stakes.

There's no questioning Kohli's status as the supreme leader in Indian cricket - when England were last in India, he dispatched them with a rampant haul of 655 runs in the five Tests. But nor can it be denied that in Kohli's absence, India's patched-up squad of talented youngsters responded with pride and vivacity to Ajinkya Rahane's more understated guidance. Either way, Kohli has proven adept at filtering out the noise throughout his remarkable career, and the debate - if it is one at all - will surely only redouble his determination to get back to leading from the front.

When it comes to England's batting, there's no looking beyond Root as the prized scalp in England's ranks. The prowess he displayed in Sri Lanka was exceptional, and the fact that this will be his 100thTest will shine that spotlight all the more brightly on his endeavours. But if Root's form can be taken as read, then what of the returning Ben Stokes? He missed the Sri Lanka leg of the winter as well as the last two Tests against Pakistan in August, meaning he's not played a first-class fixture in six months.

Also, he's had just five days of practice since ending his quarantine period on Sunday. He is sure to hit the ground running, as he knows no other way, but expecting him to touch the heights he was showing against West Indies last summer might be asking too much. That said, it is not so long ago that he was smoking a 57-ball century for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL; he of all people knows how to tap into the mental side of his game. Either way, his sheer presence is invaluable for England, not least because it opens up every possible permutation in their team balance.

Team news

After the patched-up heroics of Brisbane, it's the return of the big guns at Chepauk. It will be hard to reconcile the India side that ended Australia's three-decade-long dominance at the Gabba with the XI which takes the field on Friday, but such were the casualties on that extraordinary campaign that wholesale changes are not only inevitable but welcome for the hosts. Most notably, Kohli will stride back in at No. 4 to complete a daunting middle order bookended by the icy temperament of Pujara and the fiery strokeplay of Pant, who will retain the wicketkeeper's gloves.

Meanwhile, Bumrah and Ishant Sharma are fit and firing to resume their new-ball duties after the superb stand-in performances of Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan in Australia. R Ashwin returns too after the back troubles that kept him out at the Gabba, but his spin sidekick Ravindra Jadeja remains sidelined with a broken thumb. Axar Patel is the likely replacement on that front, while Kuldeep Yadav's left-arm wristspin is likely to make it a three-spin attack in spite of Siraj's worthy claims for a third seamer's berth.

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammad Siraj, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

England had already been planning to make up to six changes to the side that won so commandingly in Galle last month before Zak Crawley's wrist injury tore up the script even further. Two of those had been enforced, following the resting of Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood from this leg of the winter, with Stokes and Archer returning in their place. Burns is also back from paternity leave and is now guaranteed to resume his opening partnership with Dom Sibley although in Crawley's absence, the identity of No. 3 is anyone's guess. Root is the obvious choice, though he is allergic to first drop, but has also acknowledged that "everything's on the table" in selection terms.

Moeen is fit again after his bout of Covid-19 and will challenge strongly for Dom Bess' offspinner's berth. Ollie Pope is a likely pick, having been officially added to the squad after recovering from shoulder surgery but Dan Lawrence might yet retain his middle-order berth in light of Crawley's mishap. And then there's the thorny issue of Anderson and Broad. Both are worthy of being a first-choice pick, but prudence may get the better of them as England seek to manage their veterans through a tough itinerary. Chris Woakes, scuppered by quarantine in Sri Lanka, might be the most versatile final pick.

England (possible): 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Rory Burns, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Ollie Pope, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Stuart Broad

Pitch and conditions

Given the strength of India's pace attack, and - no doubt - the fragility of England's spin department, the Chepauk groundsman, V Ramesh Kumar looks set to prepare a surface with an unusually "English look". In the lead-up to the Test, instead of the usual bald surface, there has been a lush covering of grass on the square. Bumrah won't mind that, but nor you suspect will Anderson and/or Broad - especially now that it's been confirmed that the series will be contested using a new variant of the SG ball, which has a more pronounced seam and a harder variety of cork in its interior. And if the lack of usual spin assistance may force Ashwin and Co. to work harder for their breakthroughs, then spare a thought for England's spinners, who may be in for a torrid time to judge by their struggle to stem the flow when the pitches in Sri Lanka were at their most placid.

Stats and trivia

• Root will play his 100thTest a little over eight years after debuting against the same opponents in Nagpur in December 2012. He announced his arrival with a serene 73 in a series-sealing draw, as England claimed a historic 2-1 win.
• England and India have contested in nine previous Tests in Chennai, including their most recent encounter in the country, which saw India's innings-and-75-run win in the fifth Test in 2016, with Karun Nair making 303 not out.
• The last of England's three victories at Chepauk came in 1984-85, a match famous for Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler's double-centuries, and Neil Foster's 11 wickets in the match.
• India have won each of their last eight home Tests since 2018 - and by a landslide on each occasion. Six victories have been by an innings, with one ten-wicket margin against West Indies and a 203-run win against South Africa.
• The Chennai Test will be the first to be broadcast on UK free-to-air television in more than 15 years since the fifth Test of the 2005 Ashes, which was also shown on Channel 4.
• Following the postponement of Australia's tour of South Africa, this four-match series will decide which team joins New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The full permutations are here, but suffice to say, India are favourites, England have a slim chance and Australia are hoping for favours.

Quotes

"A lot of sides around the world will look at that series that just happened in Australia and take a huge amount of confidence from it. Huge credit to India for going there and winning. It's a very difficult place to play, but teams will see that and see that it is possible to win when away from home."
England's captain Joe Root looks at the positive implications of India's impressive form

"The Chepauk pitch looks good to bat on, but I think it will also have something for the quicks. The combination we have had in the past, where players can bat and bowl, will be our outlook going forward."
India's returning captain Virat Kohli places his faith in India's all-round core

A day after India's cricket establishment joined a Twitter conversation on the ongoing farmers' protest in the country, captain Virat Kohli said the issue has been discussed within the India team. He said everyone had, in a team meeting, "expressed their views" on the issue, which has dominated national headlines for several weeks.

Kohli, speaking to the media before the first Test against England, did not disclose details of the conversation. "We briefly discussed it in the team meeting. Everyone expressed their opinion, that's about it," he said.

Kohli, and many of India's leading cricket figures - including Sachin Tendulkar and team coach Ravi Shastri - tweeted on the issue on Wednesday, and his statements on Thursday were in response to a question on that. He was asked whether, given those tweets, farmers were finding space in conversations in the dressing room.

The tweets, which were all posted within a few hours of each other on Wednesday evening, had a common theme of calling for unity among Indians. Most of the tweets, and those at the same time by Bollywood actors and other celebrities, bore common hashtags: #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.

They followed a tweet by the singer Rihanna, who had linked to a CNN report on the farmers' protests and asked, "Why aren't we talking about this?" It sparked off a widespread response in India, the theme of which was that outsiders had no place in the national political discourse.

There were two kinds of tweets; those by Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir - now a BJP member of Parliament - and Anil Kumble, among others, essentially called for "external forces" to keep out of an internal issue. Tweets by Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shastri referenced farmers and their importance in Indian life.

Some cricketers took a sharply different line. Bengal and India batsman Manoj Tiwary's tweet was one of the sharpest, with a visual of a hand pulling strings and the caption: "When I was a kid, I never saw a puppet show. It took me 35 years to see one".

Also taking a different perspective was the Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Sandeep Sharma. His tweet - subsequently deleted - used a screenshot criticising the reaction to Rihanna's comments and added his own comments. "By this logic", he said, "no one should care about each other because every situation is someone's internal affair."

Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan referred to the outrage in India over the death of George Floyd last year, with the hashtag "justsaying".

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly retweeted Tendulkar's and Kumble's tweets.

The farmers' agitation has been on for several months, after the federal government passed a set of laws last September that would change some of the mechanisms of procurement and minimise government involvement in favour of private or corporate traders.

The protests were originally located in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, seen as the country's granary; for more than two months, though, thousands of farmers have been protesting in campsites around New Delhi, the national capital. The protests - largely driven by farmers' unions - have evoked sharp reactions from both sides: the government and its supporters, and those who sympathise with the farmers' cause. The issue has also attracted global responses, from Rihanna, the environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and the government of Canada, which has a large population of expats from this region.