The 2018-19 India tour of Australia seemed like the start of the era of Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav. Pant ended the series with a century, becoming the only Indian wicketkeeper to have one in both England and Australia, and Yadav's five-for led the coach to remark he was India's No. 1 spinner in overseas Tests. Pant has spent more time on the outside than in since then, and that Sydney Test remains Yadav's last.

Two years on, at the start of a home season, both are finally looking at a decent run in India's Test side. Pant has literally forced his way in with two final-day epics in Sydney and Brisbane to play a significant part in India coming back to win the series. He did so after missing the whole limited-overs leg of the tour and the first Test too.

India's captain Virat Kohli has now assured him a long run to be able to work on his wicketkeeping against spin too, which saw him lose out to Wriddhiman Saha in home Tests. "Yes, Rishabh will start. Rishabh will take the gloves," Kohli said, confirming Pant's first home Test since October 2018. "He has had impact performances in Australia recently. He is in a good space. And we want him to build on this. Along with him improving all aspects of his game. Which will happen with more game time, and the more confidence he gains playing the games.

"That is how we look at Rishabh. He has come along very nicely after the IPL. He came to Australia, he wasn't a part of the white-ball formats. He kept working hard on his fitness, on his game, and he realised the importance of putting in that work and got the results eventually, which all of us were happy to see because he is someone whom we had backed quite a lot. For good reason. Because of what you saw in Australia. That brings in a lot of value to the team. He will continue to be backed. He is an impact player. Along with his hard work, he can definitely be a very very consistent matchwinner for India. Someone the opposition will definitely be wary of whenever they play India."

In 2020, Pant played six of the 27 international matches India competed in. Yadav played seven, but his was more of a case of not fitting in the team combination India wanted. In the Tests in Australia, for example, when India picked a second spinner, they needed someone who could bat too, which meant Ravindra Jadeja. When Jadeja got injured, they went in for Washington Sundar for his batting, especially keeping in mind how India's fast bowlers also don't usually contribute much with the bat.

Kohli said, though, that it is not the end of the world to miss the actual matches because there is always something to work on as part of the Indian team. "It is a delicate balance that you need to have in terms of understanding what the team goals are and at the same time communicating to the individuals as to where their game stands, what we are looking to do as a team, what are the team's plans and where do they feature in the team's plans," Kohli said.

"Someone like Kuldeep hasn't had a lot of game time but now that the home season starts, he will in the scheme of things, he will be in the team plans, but to keep guys motivated you need to give them goals. There is something or the other to work towards when you are part of the Indian cricket team. And we are striving for excellence on a daily basis.

"Kuldeep is someone who has got a lot of skill. He understands there were areas in his game that he had to work on, which he has worked in beautifully in Australia. I see him fitter, I see his bowling improved much more than it was before. I see he has added to his skill sets as well. It is about giving them goals. And these guys are young. So they understand that once an opportunity arrives, and they start capitalising on them, the careers are long. These are the people who are going to take Indian cricket forward. It is very important to keep them motivated, give them goals to take their games to the next level."

Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, the Houston furniture store owner who is known for making giant sports bets, has placed the largest wager on Super Bowl LV so far -- $3.46 million on the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers at +3.5.

McIngvale flew into Colorado Springs on Wednesday, logged on to the DraftKings mobile betting app from the airport and placed one of the largest bets ever on the Super Bowl. After paying a little extra in juice (-127) to get the Bucs at +3.5, McIngvale would win $2.72 million if Tampa Bay covers the spread.

"Tampa Bay is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and led by the greatest football player of all time in Tom Brady, so I'm betting big on the Bucs who have overcome tough matchups throughout this postseason," McIngvale said in a release from DraftKings.

McIngvale routinely uses the betting market to mitigate risk on sales promotions at his furniture store. He had more than $11 million in play on the 2019 World Series between the between the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, including a $3.5 million futures bet on the Astros that he placed with DraftKings in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The Astros came up short, losing to the Nationals in seven games.

"Mack has been a great customer and is someone we have history with after taking his sizeable wager on the World Series a couple seasons ago," Johnny Avello, DraftKings' sportsbook director, said in the release.

This year, customers at McIngvale's store who spend $3,000 or more on a new mattress will get their money back if the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The two largest reported bets on the Super Bowl so far have both been on the Bucs. In addition to McIngvale's $3.46 million wager, a bettor with BetMGM in Nevada placed a $2.3 million wager on Tampa Bay last week.

The largest reported Super Bowl bet ever, in terms of amount risk, is believed to be a $4.8 million money-line wager on the Rams to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVL that was placed with MGM in Las Vegas in 2002. The Patriots upset the Rams 20-17.

Despite the two multimillion-dollar bets on the Bucs in this year's Super Bowl, the bulk of the action has been on the favored Chiefs. As of Wednesday at William Hill U.S. sportsbooks, 82% of the money that had been bet on the Super Bowl point spread was on Kansas City.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, for Super Bowl LV. Will Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the high-powered Chiefs offense defend their title and take home another Super Bowl championship? Can Tom Brady pull off an upset and get his seventh Super Bowl ring? Will one of the quarterbacks earn Super Bowl MVP honors, or will another playmaker emerge?

Ahead of kickoff, ESPN's analysts, writers, commentators, columnists and pundits make their predictions for the big game.

Jump to: Who wins?
Chiefs | Bucs | MVP

The tally: Chiefs have the advantage, 69-24

Of 93 experts who weighed in, the Chiefs were favored by 69 of them (74.2%), while the Buccaneers claimed 24 votes (25.8%).

The most common predicted final score was 31-27, which was picked by nine of our experts. The lowest combined total was 38 (21-17). The highest combined score was 78 (41-37). The largest margin of victory predicted was 24 points (48-24).

Betting context: Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill currently favors Kansas City by 3 points. Fifty-four of the 93 experts have the Chiefs covering that spread, while 27 say the Buccaneers will cover. Twelve have it as a push. The over/under is 56.5 at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. Fifty-seven of the experts in this pool have the game going over that total, while 36 like the under.

ESPN's Football Power Index: FPI likes the Chiefs (52.1%) by an average of 0.7 points.

Predicting a Chiefs victory (69)

"The Chiefs were the better team when these two teams met in Week 12. While the Bucs have improved since, so have the Chiefs. Kansas City wins 30-20." -- Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter

Aaron Schatz, Football Outsiders: 34-31
Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter: 30-20
Ben Baby, Bengals reporter: 31-17
Bill Barnwell, NFL writer: 31-24
Brady Henderson, Seahawks reporter: 26-21
Brooke Pryor, Steelers reporter: 38-35
Cameron Wolfe, Dolphins reporter: 31-27
Chris Berman, NFL studio host: 30-20
Courtney Cronin, Vikings reporter: 33-28
Dan Orlovsky, NFL analyst: 30-27
David Fleming, NFL writer: 48-24
David Newton, Panthers reporter: 31-23
Doug Kezirian, ESPN Chalk: 28-24
Ed Werder, NFL reporter: 34-24
Elizabeth Merrill, NFL writer: 31-30
Emmett Golden, ESPN radio: 41-37
Field Yates, NFL analyst: 34-26
Hannah Storm, SportsCenter anchor: 31-24
Ian Fitzsimmons, ESPN radio: 31-24
Jake Trotter, Browns reporter: 31-28
Jamison Hensley, Ravens reporter: 34-20
Jason Fitz, ESPN radio: 41-28
Jason Reid, The Undefeated: 34-21
Jay Williams, ESPN radio: 34-21
Jeff Dickerson, Bears reporter: 30-26
Jeremy Fowler, NFL writer/reporter: 27-24
Joe Fortenbaugh, ESPN radio: 30-24
John Sutcliffe, ESPN Deportes: 37-30
Jordan Raanan, Giants reporter: 33-32
Kary Correa, ESPN Deportes: 27-24
Kenny Mayne, SportsCenter anchor: 35-28
Kevin Seifert, NFL writer/reporter: 37-34
Kevin Van Valkenburg, NFL writer: 41-24
Keyshawn Johnson, NFL analyst: 42-27
Laura Rutledge, NFL Live host: 35-31
Lindsey Thiry, Rams reporter: 31-28
Marcus Spears, NFL analyst: 31-24
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: 31-23
Matt Hasselbeck, NFL analyst: 33-30
Matt Jones, ESPN radio: 38-28
Matthew Berry, fantasy writer: 30-24
Max Kellerman, First Take: 31-27
Michael Rothstein, Lions reporter: 38-27
Mike Golic Jr., ESPN radio: 31-27
Mike Greenberg, Get Up! host: 30-27
Mike Tannenbaum, NFL analyst: 31-27
Mike Triplett, Saints reporter: 30-26
Mike Wells, Colts reporter: 34-24
Mina Kimes, NFL analyst: 31-27
Myron Medcalf, writer: 31-21
Nick Wagoner, 49ers reporter: 34-23
Nicole Briscoe, SportsCenter anchor: 35-32
Pablo Viruega, ESPN Deportes: 35-31
Paul Gutierrez, Raiders reporter: 34-31
Peter Burns, ESPN studio host: 31-17
Rebeca Landa, ESPN Deportes: 31-27
Rex Ryan, NFL analyst: 28-21
Rob Demovsky, Packers reporter: 31-30
Ryan McGee, writer: 34-27
Sarah Barshop, Texans reporter: 34-24
Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, ESPN Deportes: 27-23
Seth Walder, analytics writer: 34-21
Shae Cornette, ESPN radio: 31-21
Shelley Smith, Chargers reporter: 27-14
Stephen A. Smith, First Take: 38-34
Tim Hasselbeck, NFL analyst: 21-17
Tim Keown, NFL writer: 35-24
Todd Archer, Cowboys reporter: 31-27
Todd McShay, NFL draft analyst: 30-26

Predicting a Buccaneers victory (24)

"The Bucs' defense has 7.0 sacks and seven takeaways in three playoff games -- and Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett can make Mahomes feel uncomfortable in the pocket. But how will their defensive backs hold up against the Chiefs' speed? I think they'll do just enough. Bucs win 29-27." -- Jenna Laine, Buccaneers reporter

Chris Carlin, ESPN radio: 34-30
Dan Graziano, NFL writer/reporter: 35-31
Eduardo Varela, ESPN Deportes: 38-35
Jenna Laine, Buccaneers reporter: 29-27
John Buccigross, SportsCenter anchor: 26-23
John Keim, Washington reporter: 28-24
Jordan Cornette, ESPN radio: 27-24
Josh Weinfuss, Cardinals reporter: 35-34
Katie George, reporter: 31-28
Kirk Morrison, NFL analyst: 31-27
Mark Herzlich, analyst: 31-27
Matt Barrie, SportsCenter anchor: 31-27
Matt Schick, ESPN studio host: 34-30
Mauricio Pedroza, ESPN Deportes: 30-27
Michelle Beisner-Buck, NFL reporter: 28-21
Mike Clay, NFL analyst: 30-27
Mike DiRocco, Jaguars reporter: 31-24
Mike Reiss, Patriots reporter: 30-27
Molly Qerim Rose, First Take host: 31-27
Randy Scott, SportsCenter anchor: 32-27
Rich Cimini, Jets reporter: 35-31
Seth Wickersham, NFL writer: 30-27
Tedy Bruschi, NFL analyst: 27-24
Turron Davenport, Titans reporter: 35-31

Super Bowl MVP

Mahomes was the most common pick to win Super Bowl MVP. That's not surprising, considering he's the quarterback of the team most of our experts picked to win the Super Bowl -- and last season's Super Bowl MVP. Fifty-two of the 93 experts who weighed in on MVP picked Mahomes, 55.9% of the vote. Eight of the past 11 Super Bowl MVPs have been quarterbacks.

Brady was the next-most-common pick, earning 17 votes. Eight other players earned at least one vote. Odds below are via Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs (-120): Aaron Schatz, Bill Barnwell, Brady Henderson, Brooke Pryor, Cameron Wolfe, Chris Berman, Courtney Cronin, David Newton, Doug Kezirian, Elizabeth Merrill, Field Yates, Hannah Storm, Ian Fitzsimmons, Jake Trotter, Jason Fitz, Jason Reid, Jay Williams, Joe Fortenbaugh, John Sutcliffe, Jordan Raanan, Kary Correa, Kenny Mayne, Kevin Seifert, Kevin Van Valkenburg, Keyshawn Johnson, Laura Rutledge, Lindsey Thiry, Marcus Spears, Mark Herzlich, Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Jones, Matthew Berry, Max Kellerman, Mike DiRocco, Mike Golic Jr., Mike Greenberg, Mike Tannenbaum, Mike Triplett, Mike Wells, Mina Kimes, Myron Medcalf, Nicole Briscoe, Pablo Viruega, Paul Gutierrez, Rebeca Landa, Rex Ryan, Rob Demovsky, Sarah Barshop, Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, Seth Walder, Shelley Smith, Tim Hasselbeck, Todd McShay

Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers (+200): Chris Carlin, Dan Graziano, Jenna Laine, John Keim, Jordan Cornette, Josh Weinfuss, Katie George, Kirk Morrison, Matt Schick, Mauricio Pedroza, Michelle Beisner-Buck, Mike Clay, Mike Reiss, Molly Qerim Rose, Rich Cimini

Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs (+1100): Ben Baby, Dan Orlovsky, Emmett Golden, Jeff Dickerson, Jeremy Fowler, Matt Bowen, Todd Archer

Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs (+1100): David Fleming, Jamison Hensley, Nick Wagoner, Ryan McGee, Stephen A. Smith

Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers (+3000): Eduardo Varela, John Buccigross, Turron Davenport

Tyrann Mathieu, S, Chiefs (+4000): Adam Teicher, Michael Rothstein, Tim Keown

Devin White, LB, Buccaneers (+8000): Matt Barrie, Randy Scott, Tedy Bruschi

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs (+3000): Shae Cornette, Peter Burns

Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs (+8000): Ed Werder

Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Buccaneers (+10000): Seth Wickersham

When more than 90 players who signed as free agents become eligible to be traded Saturday, it will mark the unofficial start of trade season in the NBA. Several big names have already been traded since mid-November, including James Harden, Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday.

Those names were added to a group that features Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward, all All-Stars who've changed teams since summer 2019.

Could that portend an active trade season in 2021? Maybe not.

While the unexpected could always happen, by and large league insiders expect the next few months to be relatively light from a transaction standpoint, as multiple factors have converged to create an adverse market and a potentially quiet March 25 trade deadline.

MORE: Predicting NBA trades, awards and titles

Who's left?

One byproduct of all of those marquee names swapping teams over the past 19 months is that there's hardly anyone left to follow them. Two stars who could've been on the move -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert -- both signed massive extensions to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, respectively. That took two big pieces off the board.

That leaves Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal as the biggest star who could be considered available. But while Beal hasn't hid his displeasure at times on the court recently for the Wizards, there has been no indication he has asked out of Washington, and observers around the league expect that deal to take place in the offseason, rather than between now and the deadline.

"I think it would have to be pressure from him and his agent to do so, and it sounds to me like that won't happen until after the season, if at all," a Western Conference executive said.

Another West exec was even more adamant when asked the same question.

"Zero," they said, referring to the chances Beal is dealt before next month's trade deadline. "That's what they keep saying. They've been adamant they're not moving him."

But while Beal is expected to stay put, there are some players who could be on the move.

In conversations with executives, a few names repeatedly popped up as logical trade candidates over the next several weeks. The New Orleans Pelicans have already engaged teams on veteran guards Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick. The Houston Rockets could potentially move Oladipo again, as well as forward P.J. Tucker, who also is on an expiring contract. No one thinks guard George Hill, who is currently out after undergoing surgery on his finger this week, will still be a member of the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder past next month's deadline.

Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier is on an expiring contract and is expected to draw interest, and multiple executives wondered if the team would consider moving on from forward Aaron Gordon -- out another four to six weeks with a sprained ankle suffered earlier this week -- as part of a pivot into a full-on rebuild amid an injury-plagued season.

But while all of those names carry some level of intrigue, they don't move the market -- and potentially shake up the standings -- like Harden or Beal, or even Holiday, whom the Bucks dealt for in November.

"The two biggest names have already moved," an Eastern Conference executive said. "Nothing will be bigger than Holiday and Harden, but I still think things will happen, especially as some of these teams realize their cap space is going to be worthless this summer."

Who can make a deal?

Just one year ago, the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers were battling atop the Western Conference, and both were seriously pursuing trades for Marcus Morris Sr., then with the New York Knicks. The Clippers were able to put together the winning deal, in part because they had a first-round pick to offer.

Not this year.

Of the teams hoping to fight for a title this year, four of them -- the defending champion Lakers, the Clippers, the Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets -- have no first-round picks to trade for years to come, making it difficult to find a way to add a difference-making player. And they're not the only ones.

The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, two teams on the fringe of the playoff race, both have already traded their 2021 first-round pick. So have the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors (though they do have Minnesota's top-three protected first-round pick as perhaps the most valuable trade asset in the league). The Jazz, who find themselves near the top of the West, owe the Memphis Grizzlies a pick that has protections all the way out to 2024.

All in all, more than 10 teams are limited in what they can offer in draft assets because of previous deals.

"For good teams trying to do rentals, those deals will be tough without picks [to trade]," a second East executive said. "And say you're Washington, and you're trying to do a Beal trade. If you want to get three firsts and two swaps, in what seems to be the going rate for these deals, your pool of teams who can do that is way smaller."

Among the league's top contenders, the Lakers, Clippers and Bucks have the added difficulty of being hard-capped, which limits the amount of salary they can add in trades.

Meanwhile, teams still are struggling to figure out who they are and what they need. Practices are few and far between, and with virtually every team dealing with myriad absences due either to injuries or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, playing with a full team is a rarity, and could limit deals.

"I think with all the uncertainty, between COVID and everything else, there's not going to be a lot happening," another Eastern Conference exec said.

Who's selling?

Every trade needs both a buyer -- a contending team looking to improve its roster in some way -- and a seller. And the NBA might have a lack of sellers this season, because of the expanded playoff field.

After experimenting with a play-in round in the bubble last season, the NBA expanded the effort this season, meaning the top 10 teams in each conference will have a shot at the postseason.

Entering Thursday, only the Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves more than three games out of a potential play-in spot.

"There's maybe four teams that really don't think they'll make the playoffs," one of the West executives said. "So who is gonna be selling?"

If teams have an outside shot at making a playoff push -- particularly teams that haven't made the postseason in years, such as the Chicago Bulls, Knicks or Sacramento Kings -- then they might be less inclined to trade productive players who are currently helping them.

"Those teams that are in that 8-13 range in either conference -- I think a lot of those teams want to make the playoffs," said an Eastern Conference executive who believed those teams wouldn't be inclined to make moves to weaken their 2020-21 teams.

Several executives also believed this could have an impact on the post-deadline buyout market, as teams who remain in the hunt for a playoff berth would rather hold on to those players to make a playoff push, instead of trying to get closer to the bottom of the standings. The league's flattened lottery odds give teams less of an incentive to be as bad as possible. Just last year, the Charlotte Hornets finished 10th in the East before the restart (a spot that would've gotten them into the play-in this year) but jumped up to No. 3 in the draft after the lottery.

Also, the NBA remains a money-driven league, and the trade market is no exception. Multiple executives said how different teams approach their financial situations could have an impact on the number of deals this year, particularly at the lower levels.

In this pandemic-shortened season, each team lost five home games, and the ones they are playing are mostly being played without crowds. Some teams, such as the Golden State Warriors -- who took on Kelly Oubre Jr.'s salary after losing Klay Thompson for the season to a torn Achilles -- have already shown a willingness to take on money, regardless of the NBA's economic reality. Other teams might end up in situations in which ownership directs the front office to find short-term savings wherever possible, creating a different group of sellers to feed the league's buyers.

"Do I think it's likely that turns into a flurry of deals? No," another East executive said. "But I do think there's some situations that, while things might get taken off the table because of all the uncertainty that's going on, could actually come together because of it."

The 200m world champion is leaving nothing to chance as she prepares for the biggest year of her career so far

Sport is littered with superstitions and rituals. Whether it’s tennis champion Rafael Nadal never stepping on the lines as he walks on to the court or basketball superstar Michael Jordan always wearing his college team’s shorts under his official kit in every professional game he played, stories abound of the sometimes extraordinary lengths people will go to in the hope of inviting good fortune. 

Dina Asher-Smith, however, is not one of those people.

“I don’t like putting things in the hands of luck,” says the reigning 200m world champion. “I deliberately don’t [have any pre-race rituals or superstitions] because the one day you don’t have your lucky socks you can’t allow months of hard work to go down the drain.

“I get a lot of my confidence from hard work and knowing that I’ve done everything I can to be in the best shape I can be in.”

Therein lies the crux of the Briton’s approach to her craft. And it works. The former world junior 100m champion and European junior 200m champion has been doing remarkable things for some time but, in recent years, has sprinted her way on to an entirely different level.

There had been fifth-place finishes over 200m at the 2015 world championships and 2016 Olympics, while coming fourth at London 2017, six months after having a metal rod inserted into her broken foot, is arguably one of the most impressive performances of her career. 

The European championships of 2018 – at which she looked a class apart in speeding to 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay gold in Berlin – were hugely impressive, too, but it was at the Doha world championships of 2019 where she had global lift-off.

A silver medal in the 100m (not her favoured event) in a British record time of 10.83 at the Khalifa Stadium was followed by another national best (21.88) and the 200m gold medal she had dreamed of. Becoming her nation’s first ever female world champion sprinter rounded off a year in which she also became Diamond League 100m champion. 

Yet the 25-year-old is not one to dwell on her achievements, as was perhaps best highlighted by a relatively recent catch-up with a friend she had not seen since Doha.

“She said ‘congratulations!’ and I was like ‘what for?’” I forget, a lot, and at the end of the day those titles have been won but it doesn’t change what’s going to happen in the future.

“The next season is a clean slate. Just by having a title you don’t get a 10-metre head start – you’ve still got to do the work.”

Just by having a title you don’t get a 10-metre head start – you’ve still got to do the work

This year has begun well, with a 60m indoor PB already in the bag, but the main target is, of course, the Tokyo Olympics. World and European championships, not to mention Commonwealth Games, opportunities will quickly present themselves thereafter before the Paris Olympics of 2024 roll around. 

There are no shortage of training incentives and Asher-Smith has no problem with rolling her sleeves up. Her work ethic hasn’t altered, but there are some subtle, albeit significant, differences now. 

“I don’t think my attitude towards training has really ever changed, except I think that as I’ve gotten a bit older – if I’m being completely honest – I’ve become a lot more relaxed. But I think that’s also a sense of security in where you are,” she says.

“When I was younger – about 17, 18, 19 when I was doing very, very good things for my age – there was definitely a sense of ‘I’m happy but oh my god I’ve got to keep this up’. It’s not necessarily a bad motivating energy but that was definitely the energy.

“That’s fuelled out of tending to surpass your own expectations quite often and then suddenly [feeling] ‘I hope I can continue this because now everybody’s expecting this’.”

She adds: “I’ve always been a hard trainer so that’s never changed. I want to win.

“I don’t need to catch up, I don’t need to prove anything. I just want to get better and what will be will be – that’s my mentality now. I’m far more chilled which, overall, definitely helps a lot.”

John Blackie has helped, too. The role of Asher-Smith’s long-time coach – she has worked with him from the age of eight – cannot be overstated and his name crops up time and again during our conversation. 

“I’m going to be indebted to him for the rest of my life,” she says. “He’s so patient, he’s so giving and he’s very intelligent and knowledgeable about what he does. He’s always giving me new skills to learn.

“I also, hand on heart, know that he cares about me Dina the person before Dina the athlete.”

That aspect of the relationship has been another vital factor, given the rapid rise to fame which has accompanied Asher-Smith’s achievements. The first time she recalls being “on the cover of anything” was when English Schools victory put her front and centre with AW in 2013.

Now the interview requests and red carpet invitations are many, the public profile so much higher. It has taken some getting used to.

Asher-Smith might appear to the outsider as a ready-made star, but there has been some hard work required when it comes to life away from the track, too.  

“John has known me forever and he knows that adjusting to getting high profile was definitely not something I’d ever thought I was going to have to deal with,” she says. 

“I talk a lot now but I could be quite shy when I was younger and I used to get overwhelmed very easily – not necessarily in crowds but in surprising situations and stuff like that – so John was very good at managing those for me.

“I’d be very shy and very ‘deer in headlights’ at anything that was just too much for me. 

“He’s been very good at talking those things through. When you’ve got someone like that who understands you, you can take your time.”

Nobody is really in track and field to get famous. It’s way too hard for people to be here just to be famous – you have to love it, you have to want to be the best at what you do

But does that mean the last couple of years have been hard to deal with?

“Definitely. If I’m being completely honest, I never thought that I was going to be famous. I never thought that I’d be a world champion. I’ve always wanted to be a world champion, don’t get me wrong, but you have your dreams when you’re younger and, suddenly, you get there.

“It was a dream that I really wanted and I worked really hard for but I always say nobody is really in track and field to get famous.

“It’s way too hard for people to be here just to be famous – you have to love it, you have to want to be the best at what you do. 

“You have to want to be a student of your sport, you have to want to improve and all these things.”

She adds: “The idea that suddenly I was high profile was something that definitely took some getting used to. 

“I went from someone who was kind of shy, easily overwhelmed to getting comfortable with that and then being put in a situation with something I hadn’t really expected.

“I felt like ‘oh, it still makes me a bit nervous’. And then, in the middle of that, having to compete again and keep succeeding.

“My life has changed a lot over the past two years. It’s nice, obviously, I’m not going to change it – I’m a world champion and it’s fab – but it’s definitely something that I didn’t really expect when I came into it.

“I just want to run fast so it has been a big adjustment but it comes with the territory and it’s definitely a learning curve. You’ve got loads of world and Olympic champions who aren’t super ‘high profile’, so it [becoming famous] is not a given and that’s why it was not expected.”

In Olympic year, that spotlight is only going to intensify. Asher-Smith, without doubt, has a shot at her sport’s ultimate prize and she can expect to be the centre of attention when it comes to the British team. 

There seems little chance of the extra scrutiny knocking her off course, however.

“You have to tune it out,” she says. “With expectations I’ve always been pretty cool and pretty chilled in a weird way. People always expect things – it’s sport and that’s the entertainment [business] we’re in.

“If you’re a singer they expect you to sing in tune and if you have people that like you they will want you to win and that’s just how it goes. That is the same across all entertainment industries.

“It’s never been a really humongous thing for me because – and again this is thanks to John – we have our own goals and expectations that we keep with just us. That’s probably what I’m more attuned to rather than everything else. 

“Not everyone understands some of the things that you go through – they won’t know if you were injured or not, they won’t know if you’ve had personal struggles or not – so the external expectations might be completely different, either below or above what you can actually achieve within you.”

Coming full circle and a return to theme of hard work, Asher-Smith is currently to be found laying the foundations which she hopes will enable her to hit her intended targets – the base from which can spring a feeling like no other. 

“You feel invincible,” she says when asked to explain the sensation which occurs when everything falls into place on the track. 

“Whether you are invincible or not depends on whether someone is faster than you but you do feel good within yourself. 

“When you’re getting into shape and when your body starts to wake up – typically just before a major championships – you do feel invincible but that’s the whole idea of everything clicking in confidence. It feels very good.”

She adds: “I just want to run faster – I think I can go faster – and that’s it, really. I definitely want to go on and do more but that requires hard work and focus.” 

Wing Gabin Villiere will make his Six Nations debut for France in Saturday's tournament opener against Italy in Rome.

Arthur Vincent starts at outside centre in the absence of the injured Virimi Vakatawa and Gael Fickou is at 12.

After missing France's Autumn Nations Cup final defeat against England, star scrum-half Antoine Dupont is back in the starting XV.

Flanker Gregory Alldritt has recovered from a knee injury in time to start, while 22-year-old Matthieu Jalibert is at fly-half in place of the injured Romain Ntamack.

France impressed under coach Fabien Galthie in 2020 and are looking to improve on their second-place finish in last year's Six Nations.

France team to face Italy

France: Dulin; Thomas, Vincent, Fickou, Villiere; Jalibert, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Willemse, Cretin, Alldritt, Ollivon (capt).

Replacements: Bourgarit, Gros, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Jelonch, Serin,Carbonel, Penaud.

Cameron Redpath will make his Scotland debut in the opening Six Nations match against England, having previously represented the defending champions at youth level.

George Turner starts at hooker in the absence of Fraser Brown and Stuart McInally to injury.

Scotland are aiming for a first win at Twickenham since 1983.

Redpath, son of former Scotland captain Bryan, had previously been called into the England set-up by Eddie Jones without winning a cap, but elected to play for Scotland.

He will line up opposite his former England under-20 team-mate Ollie Lawrence, also making his first Six Nations start, while Chris Harris continues at outside centre for Scotland.

"It's always a pleasure to welcome a new player into our squad and we are looking forward to Cam Redpath winning his first cap on Saturday," head coach Gregor Townsend said.

"We have been really impressed with Cam's contributions in the time he has been with us in camp."

Townsend picks a familiar forward pack, with Matt Fagerson given the nod at number eight and Scott Cummings and Jonny Gray starting in the second-row.

In-form Newcastle back-row Gary Graham is poised to win his third cap from the bench, while there is also a return to the matchday squad for Richie Gray.

Edinburgh hooker Dave Cherry could make his debut as a substitute.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the first rugby international between the sides, each starting Scotland player will have the corresponding name from the 1871 team embroidered onto their shirt.

Wales coach Wayne Pivac is considering keeping George North in the centre against Ireland despite wing Josh Adams being suspended for a Covid-19 breach.

With Liam Williams banned, Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit is set to make his Six Nations debut.

Hallam Amos could then line up on the other wing.

The Cardiff Blues wing has returned to the squad after missing the autumn international campaign.

When asked about potential replacements, Pivac said "We've got George North, Hallam Amos and Louis Rees-Zammit and some midfielders that have been training very well. So we've got options there."

North started at 13 in the Autumn Nations Cup win against Italy where he played alongside Jonathan Davies, who was a late starting replacement for calf injury victim Johnny Williams who is fit again.

North and Williams could line up in the midfield with Davies missing out.

Liam Williams will miss the Ireland opener after being sent off while playing for Scarlets against Cardiff Blues but will be available for the trip to Murrayfield on 13 February.

Rees-Zammit made his debut against France in a friendly in October 2021 and started against England, Georgia and Italy in the Autumn Nations Cup.

"He's been training very well and got a lot of confidence out of the autumn series," said Pivac.

"He's seen Liam get suspended and now seen another winger in Josh get suspended. He's trained well and is expecting now to get a call when the team is named. I'd be very surprised if he didn't."

'Lucky' Adams

Meanwhile, former Wales wing Dafydd James believes Adams is lucky he only received a two-match suspension after breaking lockdown rules by attending a family event on Sunday.

The Cardiff Blues wing has apologised for the incident.

"It's a government ruling and with the pandemic going on he's been very silly. I think he's lucky it's only two games," said James.

"He's made an error of judgement there, he's going to be ruing that decision and rightly so.

"The Welsh Rugby Union has dealt with it very promptly.

"Social media can be quite cruel and I'd just say 'be kind'. There's no need to be that scathing. It is what it is, he's human, he made an error of judgement and he's paying the price."

Nine games, six victories and three losses. Undefeated at home, winless away. Those are the key numbers from Andy Farrell's first year in charge.

Last year they won every game in which they were favourites and lost every one in which they were underdogs - the results were exactly on par with expectation.

As Rory Best alluded to in his first BBC column, for obvious reasons 2020 was not the best year to accurately assess how Farrell will fare as head coach.

By the end of this year, and indeed by the end of the Six Nations, we can expect to know a lot more about Ireland. But what do we expect from them now?

Working off what we saw in autumn, here are a couple of noteworthy numbers that help paint the picture of what we know about this squad.

This time last year Hugo Keenan's name was not among those being considered for selection.

Twelve months on and with just six caps to his name, the Leinster man is the closest thing Ireland have to a mainstay in a very changeable and highly-contested back three.

Two tries against Italy on debut saw Keenan immediately put his name in lights, but over the course of the autumn it was not his try-scoring prowess that kept him in the team.

The 24-year-old has quickly become Ireland's Mr Reliable; defensively solid, excellent under the high ball and rarely found out of position. The obvious comparison, then, is to Rob Kearney, for whom the exact same qualities made him an Ireland regular for a decade.

Keenan's provincials team-mates James Ryan and Andrew Porter were the only other players to start all six of Ireland's autumn outings.

While Ryan's place as the colossus of Ireland's pack is in no doubt, the autumn performances of Porter have given Farrell a welcome headache going into 2021.

The returning Tadhg Furlong is, when fully fit and on form, undroppable at tight-head - leaving Porter in a tussle with Cian Healy for the loose-head spot.

Porter's 2020 performances proved him more than capable of holding down a starting international spot, and his ability to play both sides is a useful string to Farrell's bow, which means the head coach might be less inclined to rush Furlong back if he is not at 100%.

Injury has ruled Jacob Stockdale out of Ireland's two opening fixtures against Wales and France with the Ulster man targeting a return against Italy on 27 February.

The autumn campaign did not tell us much we didn't already know about the 24-year-old - he remains one of Ireland's most dangerous attacking threats, with an ability to wreak havoc with ball in hand unrivalled by most.

A move to full-back offered him more space to run into and gave him additional opportunity to rack up the metres, something he has done consistently since his debut in 2017 - this part of his game is not in doubt.

What remains uncertain is his defensive play and the consistency that has become Keenan's early hallmark. In his four autumn starts Stockdale conceded 10 turnovers, by far the most in the squad.

As ever, the question will be whether his obvious strengths outweigh the flaws in his game - ultimately a player of his talent will not be ignored, and in his absence Ireland will need other backs to step up and ask those questions of a defence.

The returning Jordan Larmour will go some way to offset Stockdale's absence, indeed the two players hold very similar reputations in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

Then there is James Lowe, who carried for 108 metres in his first two Ireland appearances. Fitness permitting, the New Zealand-born Leinster wing looks set to be a fixture of the side in the Six Nations where, like Keenan, he could very quickly find himself to be a tough name to replace on the teamsheet.

If the microscope was not already on the Irish line-out going into this tournament, the introduction of Paul O'Connell as forwards coach ensured that it certainly is now.

The Munster legend is synonymous with Ireland's set-piece, and is now charged with improving a much-maligned facet of Ireland's game.

In his first press conference on Tuesday, O'Connell pushed back on the idea that Ireland's line-out was in dire need of improvement - a few misfires in and around both five-metre lines accentuated the issues which, he believes, are far from catastrophic.

The stats from autumn would largely back him up, with Ireland winning just shy of nine out of 10 contests on their own throw.

However, their worst performances at the line-out came in their two losses against France and England, where they turned the ball over seven times. If those sides are the current standard bearers for European rugby, tightening the screws at the set-piece is an obvious and achievable fix.

Apart from the opening game against Italy where both stats were 50/50, Ireland enjoyed considerably more possession and territory than their opponents throughout the autumn.

As Johnny Sexton alluded to on Wednesday, Ireland's ability to set up good field position or hold onto the ball is not in question.

The possession and territory stats only go to prove that dominating either or both facets guarantees nothing in terms of the overall picture of the game.

Against England at Twickenham, Ireland had 68% possession and 72% territory, yet never looked likely to cause an upset.

Indeed a statistical analysis of the England game would point to Ireland as the dominant side; they made more than twice as many carries while forcing England to make nearly three times as many tackles.

The statistics go some way to indicating where Ireland went right and wrong last year, but only some way.

Turning possession and territory into more points and wins is the focus for Farrell and his men, about whom we will know much more come the end of March.

Rookie centres Ollie Lawrence and Cameron Redpath will start for England and Scotland respectively in Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham.

His inclusion means captain Owen Farrell starts at 10, with George Ford on the bench.

Redpath, also 21, played for England at youth level but chose to join Scotland for the 2021 Six Nations.

Lawrence and Redpath go head to head, having played in the same midfield for England Under-20s in 2019.

Bath centre Redpath - whose father Bryan is a former Scotland captain - lines up outside Finn Russell, who missed the Autumn Nations Cup with a shoulder injury.

England's Farrell returns to fly-half

The last time England head coach Eddie Jones dropped Ford to the bench was England's 2019 World Cup quarter-final win against Australia.

Farrell now steps in at 10, forming part of a physical midfield with Henry Slade outside Lawrence at 13.

With Manu Tuilagi ruled out because of an Achilles injury, Jones cited Lawrence's "power" as one of the reasons for his inclusion in the England squad back in October.

In an England pack missing five key forwards, there are starts for lock Jonny Hill and returning flanker Mark Wilson.

Bath prop Beno Obano is set for his debut off the bench, while experienced forward Courtney Lawes has also been named as a replacement after making his comeback from injury.

In the absence of the suspended Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart will make his first Six Nations start at tight-head prop.

Prop Mako Vunipola, lock Joe Launchbury and flanker Sam Underhill are out injured, while prop Joe Marler withdrew from the squad for personal reasons.

"It was difficult to pick the 23 players. We've had a really good week of training. It's been very competitive but I've gone with what I feel is the strongest 23 for this week," said head coach Eddie Jones.

Turner steps up amid Scotland injuries

Scotland have also been hit by injury in their front row and George Turner starts at hooker in the absence of Fraser Brown and Stuart McInally.

Chris Harris continues at outside centre alongside newcomer Redpath as the side seek a first win at Twickenham since 1983.

"We have been really impressed with Cam's contributions in the time he has been with us in camp," said Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

Number eight Matt Fagerson features in a familiar forward pack, while in-form Newcastle back-row Gary Graham is poised to win his third cap from the bench.

There is also a return to the matchday squad for lock Richie Gray and Edinburgh hooker Dave Cherry could make his debut from the bench.

This game marks the 150-year anniversary of the sport's oldest fixture, with the first rugby international played between the two sides in Edinburgh in 1871.

Each starting Scotland player will have the corresponding name from the 1871 team embroidered onto their shirt, while England head coach Jones said the anniversary made the game "even more special".

Line-ups

England: Daly; Watson, Slade, Lawrence, May; Farrell (capt), Youngs; Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Hill, Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Obano, Williams, Lawes, Earl, Robson, Ford, Malins.

Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Harris, Redpath, Van der Merwe, Russell, Price; Sutherland, Turner, Z Fagerson, Cummings, J Gray, Ritchie, Watson, M Fagerson.

Replacements: Cherry, Kebble, WP Nel, R Gray, Graham, Steele, Van der Walt, Jones