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USAC Portion Of Wabash Clash Canceled

Published in Racing
Friday, 11 October 2019 07:23

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the second-straight year, Mother Nature has nixed the Friday night portion of the Wabash Clash at the Terre Haute Action Track.

The USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series and the DIRTcar Modifieds were scheduled to be on track.

The Saturday portion, featuring the World Of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and DIRTcar Modifieds, is still on as scheduled.

Rainfall moved into the Terre Haute area during the early morning hours on Friday and is expected to continue into the early evening. Dry and cooler conditions are expected to set in overnight into Saturday.

With sunshine and highs expected to be around 60 on Saturday, the World of Outlaws portion of the event is still on as scheduled.

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- The first thing you notice is the grunting. Walk by the Carolina Hurricanes' weight room, and there's a good chance you'll see the biggest gym rat on the team.

"You peek your head in and see him," says forward Jordan Martinook. "He's got his head down, his hat low, you can't even see his eyes. He's got a weight vest on, and you just hear him go, 'Mmmpfh.'"

"You just see a lot of veins," says defenseman Haydn Fleury. "Some grunts. It's kind of scary, to be honest."

"He usually has some good '80s music on," says defenseman Dougie Hamilton. "I don't like to go in there when he's in there because I feel small."

"He's a horse," says forward Erik Haula, an addition this offseason.

"You can catch him at all hours of the day, it's kind of a thing," says captain Jordan Staal. "He basically lives his life with an extra 30 pounds with that weight vest on. I've never really asked about it; I guess it's a lot harder. He always has that thing on."

And Bill Burniston, the Canes' head strength and conditioning coach: "He's simply a beast. A beast."

You get the point. Rod Brind'Amour -- the Hurricanes' 49-year-old coach infamously nicknamed "Rod the Bod" as a player -- still gets after it. So much so that when the Hurricanes arrived to camp this year to do their off-ice conditioning test -- two half-mile sprints on the Assault bikes in under 60 seconds each, with a three-minute break in between -- the players found out that their coach had already completed the test.

And not only were Brind'Amour's times good enough to make the cut but he finished better than about half of the roster. ("It was very important for me to beat him," says Haula, who joined the team this summer from the Golden Knights. Asked whether he did so, Haula responded, "Just barely.")

"I was dying when I did [the test], dying," Fleury says. "Some guys didn't pass it. So it's pretty crazy he does it ... just for fun."

Brind'Amour's reasoning for that self-imposed torture: "I ask my guys to do this, and I gotta make sure it's not too hard. If I can still do it, then I know everybody should be able to. They can bitch all they want, but I know it's doable."


Most NHL coaches aren't quite like Brind'Amour. But most teams aren't quite like Carolina, either. Over the past two years, the Hurricanes have developed a reputation as disrupters. It all began when Tom Dundon took over as majority owner in January 2018.

Dundon gets a bad rap in the NHL for being cheap, but he's really just trying to find value and doesn't necessarily agree on where NHL teams have historically valued things. (Dundon made other headlines earlier this year when he invested $250 million into the AAF, then quickly cut his losses and ceased operations of the startup league).

The Hurricanes were in the muck of a league-high nine-year playoff drought when Dundon assumed control. Not long after, familiar faces left: GM Ron Francis, a Hockey Hall of Famer; Cam Ward, the goalie who led the team to its only Stanley Cup; Jeff Skinner, the star forward and only Carolina player to win the Calder Trophy; Chuck Kaiton, the longtime radio voice. At the end of the 2017-18 season, coach Bill Peters resigned.

Dundon hired Brind'Amour -- a franchise legend as a player, who had been serving as an assistant coach -- to replace Peters behind the bench.

Around the league, skeptics criticized the Canes' sweeping moves: Who is this Dundon guy, and what does he think he's doing?

"For sure people were skeptical -- I probably would be too if I was on the other side," Brind'Amour says. "That's why it's a big risk; when you try new things, and if they don't work, it's like 'oh, here we go.' But he knew right away we needed to change things. He had no loyalties. He'd still tell you that. 'I don't know anything about anything. I'm going to do it this way.' But he's not stupid. He's not doing things that don't make sense. He's been a big breath of fresh air around here."

When Dundon first hired Brind'Amour, the two sat down for a long conversation in which the owner laid out his plans. Brind'Amour absorbed it, then told his boss: "'OK, we're either going to be good, or we're going to suck. But I'm happy with either one. Because we're going to get better either way.'

"With what he laid out, it was going to be one or the other -- I don't think we were ever going to be mediocre with the way we did things. And that's the way I'd want to be. I'd rather strike out swinging than bunt every time. We got rid of a lot of players. We made some moves everyone is shaking their heads about. But it worked. I didn't know if it was going to work, but it did."

The plucky Canes not only made the playoffs but knocked off the defending champs to reach the Eastern Conference final. Along the way, they once again drew the ire of traditionalists -- "Hockey Night in Canada" commentator Don Cherry served as an avatar for their critics -- with elaborate postgame celebrations (deemed the Storm Surge) for the home crowd. They were labeled the Bunch of Jerks, and leaned into the nickname, selling thousands of Bunch of Jerks T-shirts through the playoff run.

Brind'Amour's presence was just as important to the success. He was in the trenches every day with the players. None of it would have worked if the players hadn't bought in. And Brind'Amour was the passionate, relatable coach for the role.

Brind'Amour was born in 1970 and grew up in British Columbia. His mother was a school secretary, and his father was a pipe fitter at a mill. Brind'Amour always wanted to be a hockey player. When he was 13, his dad asked what he wanted for Christmas. Brind'Amour says he needed weights.

"So he bought me these crappy weights," Brind'Amour says. "At 6 in the morning, I was getting up when he went to work, and I'd do a stupid little 20-minute circuit. It was the old-school thing, Banshee, curls ... And then I'd do it every day after school, so I'd do it twice a day."

Brind'Amour was self-admittedly always pretty good at hockey. But adding the workouts made him feel like he was getting an extra edge. "It's the one thing you can control, how hard you work off the ice," he says. "I don't know if I'm better than you, but if I think I am, it helps. If you run me over, then that guy is better. But if I get run over, and I know I didn't work that hard, then that's on me. I never wanted that. The problem is, I can never go back. I always have to add."

Brind'Amour was selected ninth overall by the Blues in 1988. The next year, he went to Michigan State. As legend goes, Spartans coach Ron Mason had to turn the lights off at the gym -- and eventually padlock the doors -- to deter Brind'Amour from going to the gym at all hours.

Brind'Amour was traded to the Flyers in 1991, and that's where he really took to team trainer Pat Croce, who later became an entrepreneur and team president of the 76ers. Brind'Amour adores Croce, who was the first one to coin the "Rod the Bod" nickname.

"I was never crazy about it; I think my teammates just used it to get to me," Brind'Amour says. "But, it is what it is."

Brind'Amour's reputation on the ice was just as stellar. He had a 484-game ironman streak of consecutive games played, and would later win back-to-back Selke Trophies with the Canes in 2005 and 2006, as he captained Carolina to its only Stanley Cup.

Brind'Amour had played 1,484 games in 20 seasons in the league -- and another 159 in the playoffs -- when he retired in 2010.

"I was 40 when I stopped, I could have kept going for another five years," Brind'Amour says. "I know it. I'm telling you, I know I could have. But there's a mental push you have to do that I wasn't able to do. And I would have had to move. By that point with my family ... the minute they said we're done with you, I said, 'I'm not moving.'"

When Brind'Amour retired, he stayed just as militant about his workouts. He says he has never taken two days off in a row in his life.

"Just for the mental health benefits, I can't not do it," Brind'Amour says. "If I take more than a day off, I just don't feel right. Mentally, I'm just not good."

Brind'Amour can't run anymore because of his knees. "It just hit me this year," he says. "My knees are shot. I like to run, but it's not worth it."

So every day, he does 45 minutes, minimum, on a bike for cardio. He does the Assault bike conditioning test players do once a week -- "but only half the test," he insists. "Just to sniff around it, so I know once a year when I'm going to do it, I can do it."

Every day he does core work "because if my back goes out, I'm screwed," he says. "Then, depending on my time, I have two upper-body workout days, then a leg day, and I rotate through." Brind'Amour insists he doesn't know how much his weighted vests weigh. "I just throw one or two on, depending what I'm doing," he says.

Brind'Amour makes his workouts travel-proof. One of his leg days doesn't even require equipment. "I can roll with anything," he says. "If there's no bike in a hotel, I'll jump on that stupid elliptical -- which I call the executive workout -- like you're just getting a half-assed sweat."

Brind'Amour never took time off from hockey, either. His first year out, he worked for the Canes' development staff, often checking in on the AHL players in Charlotte. Then he became an assistant coach. Because he wanted to spend more time with his family and coach his son, he cut a deal to coach only for home practices and home games. "I wish I could have kept that gig up," Brind'Amour says. "But the problem with that, I found, is that if you're a part-time coach, you can't really influence anything. You're not really in charge."

When Brind'Amour was an assistant coach, the Canes had a 5:45 p.m. meeting before a 7 p.m. game. Burniston, the strength and conditioning coach, noticed there were still weights out and saw Brind'Amour sitting at his desk, dressed in his suit. "Are you done with those?" Burniston asked. "No, I'm not done," Brind'Amour replied.

The coach walked out, did one squat -- in his full suit -- to re-rack the weights where they belonged.

"With Rod, the standard is the standard," Burniston says. "There's one way to do things; there's not multiple ways to do things. And that one way is the right way."

Adds Hamilton: "He's been through it all as a player. He played however many games, won a Stanley Cup, was a captain. Why would you not want to learn from a guy like that? And I mean, he can still skate, he can still shoot, he can still jump in on drills when we need an extra guy."

Last season, the Hurricanes lost seven of their first 31 games by one goal. "I'd been around the NHL for 20 years as a player, another 10 as a coach, and I've never been around that," Brind'Amour says. "It was weird. If you watched the game, we were the better team by a mile. But we just couldn't win. I'd come in the locker room after the game and say, 'I just don't know what to do.' I was worried. Everything I believe in, everything we're doing, and we're not winning. I was like 'Guys, what do we do?'"

Brind'Amour eventually just asked the guys for patience. Trust the process, he pleaded.

"Luckily, the guys believed it, they stuck with it," he says. "They could have easily just said 'Rod, you don't know what you're doing.' And yet, they bought in."

It was a magical finish on and off the ice. By the end of May when the playoffs were done, the Canes had generated more than $5.1 million in new season-ticket memberships -- up nearly $4 million from a year prior.

There were more changes this past summer. This time, Carolina became a free agent destination. Among those who chose the Canes: former Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner, who signed a four-year deal at a discounted $4.05 million per season.

"The word is out," Brind'Amour says. "We're getting players that want to be here. This is a place where they know they can win. But this year is really important. We had a good year, but we have to back it up. And then you'll start to see real change stay around here."

It's early, but the Canes have shown once again to be a disciplined hardworking bunch. They won their first three games of the season for the first time since 1995-96 -- they needed overtime in each of those games, and overcame third-period deficits in each.

After the Canes stifled the Lighting, Bolts captain Steven Stamkos was frustrated.

"We just got totally outclassed by a team that was hungry to play, that had a game plan, played to their structure," Stamkos said of the Canes. "We just continue to be the freewheeling team that thinks we can come into games and win because we're skilled."

For a Brind'Amour-coached team, that's the ultimate compliment.

"Our team's identity comes from [Brind'Amour]," says top-line center Sebastian Aho. "It's not just that he's the most fit guy here. He's a great leader. You want to learn from a guy like him."

Round 2 of Houston Open to resume at noon ET

Published in Golf
Friday, 11 October 2019 03:07

Update (11:12 a.m. ET): Second-round play at the Houston Open will resume at noon ET. Afternoon tee times will be pushed back 2 hours, 5 minutes.

HUMBLE, Texas – As expected, the second round of the Houston Open has been suspended because of inclement weather.

Tournament officials blew the horn to stop play at 9:54 a.m. ET, which gave them plenty of time to pull the players off the course before the thunderstorms arrived. The delay is expected to be significant, as the storms aren't expected to pass until at least noon ET.

This cold front will bring cooler temperatures (55 degrees at 7 p.m. ET) and high winds (up to 25 mph sustained with 30 mph gusts) Friday afternoon, which will benefit some of Friday's earlier groups. Before the horn blew, Peter Malnati had tied the lead with a 5-under start through five holes. Robert Garrigus was also 5 under on his round, moving up to 7 under, one shot off the lead, after seven holes.

With the delay, the late afternoon groups will surely have to finish their rounds on Saturday morning – and in tougher conditions. Winds for Saturday morning will still be 7-14 mph with 15-20 mph gusts.

City wouldn't sell Foden even for €500m - Pep

Published in Soccer
Friday, 11 October 2019 05:03

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said teenager Phil Foden is pivotal to his plans, and that even €500 million would not be enough to convince the club to sell.

Foden, who has made 19 Premier League appearances since making his debut under Guardiola in 2017, received an apology from Guardiola earlier this month over his lack of game time after being left out of the side's travelling party for City's Champions League away tie at Shakhtar Donetsk.

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A number of clubs have expressed an interest in taking Foden on loan, though sources told ESPN FC in April that City would resist any moves for him.

Despite a lack of playing time, Guardiola said the 19-year-old is an instrumental part of City's future, particularly with David Silva set to leave the club at the end of the season.

"We didn't give Foden a new contract by accident," Guardiola told The Sun. "He is the only player that can't be sold under any circumstances, the only one. Not even for €500m.

"Phil's going nowhere. Phil is City. We won't be signing anyone else for that position. When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.

"He's grown up with us. He's one of us and he's going to be brilliant -- one of the Premier League's best."

Chelsea youngsters Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori are all in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad having had significant playing time this season in the Premier League under Frank Lampard.

Foden, however, will have to make do with a spot in Aidy Boothroyd's under-21 side for England's friendly against Slovenia and their U21 European Championship qualifier against Austria.

Despite the Chelsea trio coming to the fore, England boss Gareth Southgate is unconcerned by Foden's lack of game time.

"It's a little bit harder to get in the side at those bigger clubs, but when you're in, as the Chelsea boys are now, there's a great opportunity to play important matches, [gain] big-match experience," Southgate said of Foden's situation.

"So, I'd probably try to calm Phil's situation, because there's a lot of expectation around him and I think that's a huge pressure for a young player potentially.

"At the moment, a lot of his game has been forged with our junior team. That's how he's appeared on the scene, so we're really happy with his progress.

Elliott banned for Kane impersonation

Published in Soccer
Friday, 11 October 2019 08:52

Liverpool teenager Harvey Elliott has received a 14-day club football ban for a social media video in which he appeared to perform an offensive impersonation of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

The Football Association handed the punishment down on Friday, citing a breach of FA Rule E3 as it included reference to a disability.

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The 16-year-old must also complete a face-to-face education course and pay a £350 fine.

The clip, posted on Snapchat during the Champions League final, showed Elliott -- then at Fulham -- using derogatory language to seemingly mock Kane.

The footage spread online at the end of July, leading the youngster to "wholeheartedly apologise for any offence caused."

In a message posted on Instagram, he continued: "The video was taken whilst messing around with friends in a private environment and was not directed at any individual but I realise that my actions were both immature and senseless.

"I would like to stress that the contents of the video do not represent who I am as a person or how I've been brought up, and I am truly sorry."

Reacting to the suspension, a Liverpool spokesperson said: "Harvey's apology was sincere, immediate and unequivocal. He has acknowledged privately and publicly his actions were wrong.

"Given his age when this indiscretion was committed -- in a private setting and prior to signing for us -- we will continue to work with Harvey on an educational basis as relates to his conduct.

"He has already demonstrated to us a willingness to learn and live up to the values and conduct expected of a Liverpool player."

Liverpool confirmed the signing of Elliott on July 28 after he turned down the opportunity to remain at Craven Cottage, with his youth contract expiring a month earlier.

The winger, who became the youngest player to feature in the Premier League when he came on as a substitute for Fulham against Wolves in May, aged just 16 years and 30 days, was also tracked by Barcelona, Real Madrid and RB Leipzig.

Elliott featured during Liverpool's preseason tour of the U.S. and made his debut in the 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at MK Dons.

He was named in the squad as Jurgen Klopp's side extended their perfect start to the league season with a 2-1 win over Leicester City.

Sources: United set for world record shirt deal

Published in Soccer
Friday, 11 October 2019 05:03

Manchester United can expect to top their £450 million Chevrolet deal as they search for a new shirt sponsor, sources have told ESPN FC.

The agreement with American car manufacturer General Motors, signed in 2012 before coming into effect ahead of the 2014-15 season, is set to come to an end in 2021.

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Sources have told ESPN FC that a number of major brands have expressed an interest in becoming United's principal shirt sponsor and the club are confident of negotiating a deal that would exceed GM's £450m seven-year agreement despite a poor start to the season.

Defeat at Newcastle left United, who have not won the Premier League title since 2013, in 12th just two points clear of the relegation places.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team have not won a league game for a month and face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford in their next game after the international break.

United remain one of the leading sports brands and in August announced results of a survey which suggested they have 1.1 billion fans worldwide, an increase of 67% in seven years.

Sources have told ESPN FC that any extra revenue generated from a new sponsorship deal will be invested into the playing squad as United look to re-establish themselves as serious contenders in the Premier League and Champions League.

A club spokesman said: "Chevrolet is a fantastic partner and we will continue to work with them to activate and maximise the sponsorship."

England's Test captain Joe Root has said he thinks Chris Silverwood's appointment as Trevor Bayliss' successor is "a really good" one.

Since succeeding Alastair Cook at the start of 2017, Root has had to put up with Test cricket being secondary to the white-ball game, with England's main focus on the Champions Trophy and then the World Cup, but ECB managing director Ashley Giles has signalled that the focus will shift back towards the red-ball game in the coming years.

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"I'm delighted for [Silverwood]," Root told BBC West Yorkshire. "He's done some excellent work since he's been involved in the team. "I'm sure you've heard all the reports on him: [he's] very thorough, very well-organised, he knows exactly how he wants to take the team forward. He's got a very good relationship with the guys, and I think that carries a lot of weight and goes a long way.

"He's very knowledgeable, not just about his bowlers and how to take 20 wickets, but about cricket in general. He's got a very good record in the County Championship with Essex, in the two years he was there. I think it's a really good appointment."

In his first outing in front of the media yesterday, Silverwood said that he was keen to make sure him and Root were singing from the same hymn-sheet as to how they wanted the Test team to go about things.

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"Joe and I had a good long conversation yesterday," he said. "I want to make sure that from the get-go, Joe and I are aligned with how we're going to go about taking the Test team forward.

"What I'm talking to you about now [are] Joe's thoughts as well - the two of us are aligned, and have an idea of how we want to take things forward.

"We think about [batting for] long periods of time, and then we want to create a bowling attack that is absolutely relentless. We saw some examples of that this summer - the Aussies made our lives really difficult."

Root also backed Jonny Bairstow, who has been dropped for the two Tests against New Zealand, to return to the side after working on his game while out of the squad.

"He's very disappointed," Root said. "We've had long conversations about it, and he understands that his performances over the last 18 months or so have slipped… and because of it he's ended up being left out.

"But one thing I expect of Jonny is a response, to go away, work at certain areas of his Test game and use the opportunity with that extra bit of time off. When you're playing all three formats like Jonny has for the past three or four years, you don't get windows of opportunity to work at specific parts of your game - you're always preparing for the next series or for the games in between.

"He's got an opportunity now to go away, take that chance, and when he gets his opportunity to play again, to come and do what he does best, prove everyone wrong and cement his spot in the side. That's the character he is."

India women 248 for 5 (Raj 66, Raut 65, Khaka 3-69) beat South Africa women 247 for 6 (Wolvaardt 69, Pandey 2-38) by five wickets

In a reprise of her match-winning knock in the 2017 Women's World Cup Qualifier final, against South Africa that secured India the title off the final ball, Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 39 helped seal the team's highest successful chase in ODIs - against the same opponents - in Vadodara.

Set up by half-centuries from Mithali Raj and Punam Raut, India overhauled the 248-run target with five wickets and two overs to spare, meaning the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Harmanpreet walked in at a vital juncture in play, with both set batsmen, Raj and Raut, having departed in the space of four deliveries, to leave India at 196 for 4 and needing 52 off 59. Harmanpreet, who had neither batted nor bowled in the first ODI after having finished as India's highest run-getter in the preceding victorious T20I series, had Deepti Sharma for company in the final leg of the chase on a pitch that eased up as the day progressed.

A 12-run 43rd over decisively titled the chances in India's favour. Ismail, who had until then conceded 26 off her seven overs, was carted by Harmanpreet towards the midwicket boundary for the first four in a sequence of three. The last two - coming off the final two deliveries - involved some luck, as both thick outside-edges flew past the wicketkeeper's right to the third-man boundary.

Ayabonga Khaka bowled Deepti for a eight-ball 2 the next ball, but Harmanpreet's experience shone through as she chipped away at the target, hammering the first six of the match off Khaka in the 46th over and two more fours in the 48th over against the same bowler. In wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia's company, Harmanpreet closed out the chase with a single driven uppishly towards cover, where Marizanne Kapp dropped the right-handed batsman and appeared to have injured herself.

Earlier, the chase had been set up by Raj and Raut who lifted India from 66 for 2 to 195 for 3. Their 129-run stand ended with Raj, who struck eight fours in her 82-ball 66, top-edging a drive off a wide delivery to Wolvaardt at the cover boundary. Raut gave away her wicket next over, scooping Khaka straight to Kapp at short fine leg, but not before the No. 3 batsman had accumulated a gritty 92-ball 65, including seven fours, for her 13th ODI half-century.

"I wanted to finish the match," Raut, the Player of the Match, said at the post-match presentation. "Maybe the shot was unnecessary. But we needed runs at that point and I was beginning to cramp a little. I have always loved batting with Mithali since my debut, whether in domestic games or international fixtures. There's so much to learn from her. I would love to finish games like her."

India's day, however, had not begun on a promising note despite the home side having won the toss. An opening stand of 76 between Lizelle Lee and half-centurion Laura Wolvaardt was followed by a 51-run second-wicket partnership between Wolvaardt and Trisha Chetty, after Harmanpreet took an excellent low, front-diving catch to send back Lee off wristspinner Poonam Yadav. Wolvaardt, the 20-year-old, struck seven fours en route to her patient 98-ball 69, her 15th ODI fifty, but she found Jemimah Rodrigues at deep-square leg, off Shikha Pandey, only four overs after the medium-pacer had Chetty sky one to Jhulan Goswami at mid-on.

Mignon du Preez and Lara Goodall made 44 and 38 respectively, adding 59 together for the fourth wicket. Sune Luus, the captain, meanwhile, and Kapp, the visitors' top-scorer from the first ODI, chipped in with 12 and 11 each to take South Africa to 247 for 6, which eventually didn't prove enough for South Africa to avert a second series loss on this tour.

South Africa 36 for 3 (de Bruyn 20*, Umesh 2-16) trail India 601 for 5 dec (Kohli 254*, Agarwal 108, Jadeja 91, Rahane 59, Pujara 58, Rabada 3-93) by 565 runs

On day two of Test two, Virat Kohli and friends just stood there and beat every bit of fight out of a tattered and directionless South African side. Kohli could have chosen to bat on and have a stab at a triple, Ravindra Jadeja could have got a hundred had he not pushed too strongly towards a declaration, and then Umesh Yadav announced his comeback with two wickets in his first two overs.

South Africa, meanwhile, dropped catches, misfielded regularly, conceded overthrows, snapped at each other, bowled 11 no-balls, and just waited for declaration. Oh and they also made strides towards having the worst series for a set of spinners in India, and none of their three fast bowlers charged in for the last 18 overs of the innings. Even when Keshav Maharaj was off the field with injury. Retirements, talent drain, relative quality of this South African side compared to their other teams are things beyond the scope of this report, but it is hard to remember an untidier effort from them in the field. Even the forecast rain refused to come to their rescue.

South Africa's spinners now average 95; only two sides have ended a series with worse numbers in India. Maharaj has gone at 4.04 an over so far and has averaged 85.66, putting him in the worst five on both counts. While these are mid-series numbers, it will take some correcting to not walk away with dubious honours by the time Ranchi is done.

India's honours were the farthest thing from dubious. Kohli was tested with the new ball in the first hour, but South Africa's cordon didn't help themselves by refusing to move closer. Thrice Kohli edged in the first exchange, but none of those went to hand. That South Africa could draw edges through traditional channel bowling tells you how sporting the pitch was. Kohli was less sporting whenever the bowlers erred, and they erred frequently. No matter how honest they kept him with length balls outside off, Kohli was brutal on any that were too full or too straight.

This was one of Kohli's more difficult home hundreds. Only on a crazy seaming track in Kolkata, against Sri Lanka, did Kohli have a worse control percentage over his first 100 runs than the 87.86 here. He was respectful accordingly, even with debutant Anrich Nortje.

Ajinkya Rahane was less fluent with his ongoing struggles against spin. He took 33 balls to score his first run off Maharaj. To the first 100 runs of the 178-run partnership with Kohli, Rahane contributed just 25; he took 100 balls to do so. Against pace he opened up a little, but Maharaj dismissed him on 59.

Left-arm spin did come close to getting Kohli out: but three outside edges off Maharaj refused to go to Faf du Plessis at slip. This, though, happened well after he had reached his hundred and was now pushing for quicker runs. That was one of the reasons why Jadeja was promoted to No. 6, but Kohli was so dominating that Jadeja could score just six in the first 50 runs of the 225-run partnership.

Kohli was toying with the bowlers, and yet he didn't resort to hitting the ball in the air. Soon he went past Steven Smith, Don Bradman and 7000 Test runs. The 7000th was also the run that brought up his seventh double-century. He was the fourth-fastest to the mark; also only three men have scored more doubles than him.

After Kohli reached his double, he and Jadeja unleashed mayhem. South Africa went to pieces. Amid overthrows and misfields, Rabada fielded a ball in his follow-through and threw it at the keeper. Quinton de Kock had his back at the throw, and all hell broke loose. A frustrated Rabada vented his anger and de Kock refused to take it lying down. Between overs, du Plessis had to physically push Rabada out of an altercation. Immediately Philander failed to bend to field a ball at mid-on.

Rabada didn't bowl an over in the last 32, Nortje in the last 22, and Philander in the last 18. It was clear that fast bowlers were the only ones who could delay India's declaration and thus leave a little less for their batsmen to do. In those 17.3 overs, India plundered 136 runs. One of those 11 no-balls brought a wicket in this period. du Plessis missed an edge too. India stole singles from under the fielders' noses. South Africa had closed their eyes and were waiting for the nightmare to end. It momentarily did as Jadeja skied one on 91, bringing his average in declared innings down to 74.7.

The relief didn't last as Yadav quickly showed South Africa's fast bowlers how to bowl in helpful conditions in India. Skiddy, swinging and attacking the stumps, he had Aiden Markram lbw with the second ball he bowled. In his second over, he had Dean Elgar playing on. With his first ball in the match, Mohammed Shami got rid of Temba Bavuma. du Plessis sent Nortje out sa nightwatchman who survived the day but only just.

England team-mates Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt have announced their engagement on National Coming Out Day.

The pair revealed the news via an Instagram post and a newspaper interview after Brunt had proposed on New Year's Eve last year.

They told team-mates immediately, but had not previously gone public with their relationship.

Brunt told The Guardian that she had found telling her parents about their relationship "really difficult", but that she had "seen sense" as she got older.

"My parents are different to Natalie's," she said. "They are quite Christian so it is not something that is done and that's why it has held me back. They don't believe in the way I choose to live my life, basically, so it has been quite difficult.

"Having to tell my parents was really difficult because I care a lot about them so it was something I put off for a long, long time. But as I have got older, I have seen sense and realised that it is not about that, it is about being yourself and living life properly.

"My parents love me: there is no questioning that. They will always be there for me and support me. They are still my parents and they still love me, so it is a compromise I have to take but I am ok with that."

The pair first played for England together in 2013, and have both been regulars in the side ever since. Brunt first asked Sciver to be her girlfriend in the hours immediately after the World Cup final win against India in 2017 on the Lord's balcony, and proposed 18 months later.

The pair have also played together at Perth Scorchers in the WBBL, and were both announced as signings for the Trent Rockets at last week's launch of The Hundred.

They plan to get married after England's series against India next September.

Sciver and Brunt join a number of high-profile couples in the women's game in their engagement, including South Africans Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp, and New Zealand pair Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu.

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