With the T20 World Cup just over a year away, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, the India captain and coach, have laid out their expectations from Rishabh Pant.

The wicketkeeper-batsman's shot selection has been under the scanner. While reiterating his faith in Pant's talent and destructive ability, Shastri said some of his decisions with the bat had let the team and himself down.

"When you see a shot like the one in Trinidad, off the first ball, [it's disappointing]," Shastri said in an interview to Star Sports, referring to Pant skipping down the track to Fabian Allen in India's third ODI against West Indies in Port-of-Spain, only to mis-time his loft to mid-off.

"He tries to repeat it a couple of times and gets out, he will be told," Shastri said. "There will be a rap on the knuckles there - talent or no talent - because you are letting the team down, forget letting yourself down. You are letting the team down in a situation where you have the captain at the other end [Kohli was at the crease when Pant got out with India needing 164 off 22.3 overs]. You have a target to chase where the need of the hour is some sensible cricket."

That innings was Pant's second first-ball duck of the tour to the West Indies. In the first T20I in Lauderhill, he top-edged a slog sweep off Sunil Narine.

"No one will change his style but match awareness becomes crucial, shot selection becomes crucial in particular situations," Shastri went on. "If he can fathom that out, he could be unstoppable. You mentioned how many games [it would take], it could be one game, it could be four games. I don't see more than that. He will learn. He has played enough IPL cricket. So it's time now for him to step on to the stage and just show the world how devastating he is."

"There will be a rap on the knuckles there - talent or no talent - because you are letting the team down, forget letting yourself down." Ravi Shastri on Rishabh Pant

Kohli said the expectation was not for Pant to change his approach and natural game but to read situations better.

"Expectations are only of reading situations," Kohli said in the same interview. "You don't expect a guy to play according to what you might be thinking. It's about analysing the situation and finding your own way of dealing with the situation. Someone like Rishabh might hit five boundaries in a difficult situation compared to me who likes to take ones and twos and get out of it. So everyone has their own game. But reading the situation and decision-making is the expectation from all the players, including myself."

India's calendar is geared towards preparing the team for the T20 World Cup, and while there is likely to be an effort at widening the pool and giving opportunities to potential candidates, Kohli said that those aiming to make a mark couldn't expect more than about five games to do so.

"Youngsters are being pushed into the side from time to time because you need to figure out who are the people who have the mentality, the mindset and the character to take the [team's] vision forward," Kohli said. "We hope they establish themselves and grab those chances. From the team and the management point of view, we are clear on the fact that you will get about five opportunities and you have to make the most of it. That's the level we are playing at.

"I think the individuals coming in need to have that mindset. The guys who grab those opportunities quickly, they just grab the opportunities. It's a delicate balance to strike but it's necessary because you have 30 matches and you have to figure it out how much time each individual can be given."

Shastri felt that a pool of approximately 18 players to choose from should be the target immediately before the T20 World Cup. "I would say a pool of 18 players [would be ideal]," Shastri said. "We already have 15, so if you get another three from the outside in that span, you have got your pool. But the important thing is to be prepared to invest, not be scared that you might lose an odd game or two."

England 294 (Buttler 70, Root 57, Marsh 5-46) and 329 (Denly 94, Stokes 67, Lyon 4-69) beat Australia 225 (Smith 80, Archer 6-62) and 263 (Wade 117, Leach 4-49, Broad 4-62) by 135 runs

For the first time since 1972 there was a drawn Ashes series as England prevailed by a convincing 135 runs at The Oval with Stuart Broad and Jack Leach taking four wickets apiece alongside two for Joe Root who enjoyed a good day as captain. Matthew Wade struck a fantastic century, which included a compelling duel with Jofra Archer, but England shifted Steven Smith for 23 and Wade could not find anyone to stay with him long enough to bring the target within sight.

After what happened at Headingley just a few weeks ago - and because Australia have the best since Bradman - even with a target of 399 it didn't quite feel like a foregone conclusion when the chase started early on the fourth day. However, with Broad continuing his stranglehold over Australia's openers - getting David Warner for the seventh time in the series - and returning to have Smith caught at leg gully (and plan 774-runs in the making) it was 85 for 4 with the feeling the end could come swiftly.

ALSO READ: How Broad has owned Warner

Wade then added stands of 63 with Mitchell Marsh, 52 with Tim Paine and 44 with Pat Cummins, each time England nabbing the breakthrough before things got troublesome. He and Archer went toe-to-toe during an hour of thrilling cricket after tea - Archer touching 95mph but staying wicketless during an eight-over spell - with Wade reaching his hundred from 147 balls before being stumped off Root which heralded the end. On a day where he saw plans come together, Root had the satisfaction of taking the final catch with a brilliant snare at midwicket.

Broad made the early moves with the new ball as he has done so often during the series. A beauty extracted Marcus Harris' off stump (of course from around the wicket) and then had a skittish Warner sparring outside off to third slip where Rory Burns was again very sharp. The first of those wickets made him the only England bowler to take 20 wickets in four-Ashes series and the Warner scalp put him in a small club of those to remove a batsman seven times in a series.

Getting through the top two has not been a problem for England (today's stand of 18 was Australia's best of the series) but the third-wicket stand has caused more difficulties. Therefore, Leach's first incision, shortly before lunch, was key when he lured Marnus Labuschagne down the pitch, beat him with spin and Jonny Bairstow completed a slick stumping.

It was six overs after the break, though, when England celebrated the wicket they surely presumed would secure victory. England have gone with a leg-side heavy field plenty of times during the series but Smith has endlessly found the gaps. This time, when he went to flick Broad off his hip, he didn't quite keep it down and Ben Stokes took a superb diving catch. Smith walked off to a fully deserved standing ovation, any lingering boos drowned out by loud applause. A personal mission accomplished.

Australia made England work hard for the rest of their success but in a theme of the series starts were not converted. Marsh, who was given a life on 6 when caught at slip off Chris Woakes' first Test no-ball, turned Root lazily straight to short leg and Paine was pinned lbw by Leach from a delivery that just pitched on leg stump. Kumar Dharmasena took an age to raise his finger; England were relieved he did as they had spurned their two reviews.

Around this, Wade dominated with a very fine innings. He had been positive from the start, driving strongly and picking off anything straight through the leg side, but the highlight was when Archer revved things up after tea against a player who has got under England's skin throughout the series. A top-edge six seemed to really get Archer's juices flowing. There was very little pitched in Wade's half - and when there was a full delivery, Wade generally pounced - and he took a stinging blow on the shoulder. Words were exchanged but Archer also responded with an extended starring contest.

Archer survived and Wade spent 14 balls moving from 96 to his century when he worked Broad into the leg side. In the next over from Root, Bairstow missed a tough stumping and next ball Stokes missed a high, fast edge at slip to just suggest that the mood was with Wade as Cummins blocked effectively alongside him. However, Broad then found Cummins' edge with a full delivery and could have had a five-wicket haul if there had been a second slip to Peter Siddle.

Wade had been given caught at slip, driving at Root the ball after Cummins fell, but the DRS showed bat had hit the ground. The England captain kept throwing the ball up outside off, extracting considerable turn from the rough, and eventually beat Wade as he charged down the pitch with Bairstow having plenty of time behind the stumps.

With that, the match was not heading into a fifth day - which was probably a good thing for everyone - and Leach finished off the series with two wickets in two balls. Root was the catcher for both, firstly at square leg and then, with his final act of an historic, draining, dramatic and thrilling summer, plucking out Josh Hazlewood's flick at midwicket. Australia's Ashes, England's match and one heck of a season.

Joe Root has said he wants to be "at the front" of England's progression over the next three years, and thinks that he is the man to captain them to an Ashes victory in Australia in 2021-22.

Root's captaincy repeatedly came under pressure during the series. Batting in his unfavoured position of No. 3, he failed to make a hundred and was dismissed without scoring three times, though finished with an average of 32.50.

He was also criticised for turning to Jofra Archer too often when seeking a breakthrough, and seemed to be struggling with the pressures of the role despite repeatedly stating his desire to continue as captain.

ALSO READ: Archer's talent must be protected and nurtured

But after leading his side to a series-levelling win at The Oval, Root told Sky: "I want to be leading this team, and be the man to bring the Ashes back to England."

"We're very much driven towards [that series]" said Root. "We've got two-and-a-half years to prepare very well for it. I think it's going to be a real focus for English cricket to make sure we do everything we can to be in the best possible space for that.

"I want to be at the front of that."

Ben Stokes, who was re-appointed as Root's vice-captain at the start of the Test summer, said that Root was "100 percent" the man to lead England forward, and paid tribute to the players that had come into the side in the past year.

"Everyone who has come into the Test side in the winter and this summer has [put] their hand up and shown that they can compete at the highest level.

"We've been challenged by some seriously good fast bowling as we've always known [we would be], and Rory Burns and Joe Denly as the new guys in the team have shown what they can do.

"I think Rory Burns has been knocking on the door for a long time, and I think we started to see this series what he can offer."

Root echoed Stokes' praise for the new opening pair.

"They played very well throughout the series on very difficult surfaces against a very good attack," he said. "You have to take that all into consideration - it's been hard at the top of the order.

"Guys have got stuck in at times, it's been very difficult. They've stood up to it. You know, they've made some very valuable contributions. They should be very proud of their efforts."

Root also paid tribute to departing head coach Trevor Bayliss, hailing his contribution to England's limited-overs set-up in particular.

"Trev is brilliant," Root said. "He's obviously added a huge amount to this Test team. He's been involved in some fantastic series wins, both home and away.

"And what he's done for white-ball cricket for English cricket is phenomenal. He's very much valued in the dressing room, he's got a great sense of humour. We all played for him this week, and I'm really pleased to send him off in a great fashion."

LOS ANGELES -- Sean Payton signed a five-year extension with the New Orleans Saints, a source confirmed to ESPN, meaning one of the NFL's longest-running partnerships will continue well into its second decade.

Only Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has been with his team longer than Payton, who was hired in 2006 and has a career record of 119-74 in the regular season heading into Sunday's game at the Los Angeles Rams. Payton is 8-6 in the postseason, including a Super Bowl win 10 years ago.

Payton's extension should quash any rumblings that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might try to pursue Payton after this season. Payton's previous contract, which was worth more than $9 million per year, was scheduled to run through 2020.

Details of the new deal have not been disclosed.

The news was first reported by Fox Sports.

The extension could also mean that Payton will outlast Drew Brees in New Orleans -- though the 40-year-old quarterback has shown no signs yet that he plans to retire anytime soon.

Payton and the Saints did hit a lull in their relationship with three straight 7-9 seasons from 2014 to '16. And Payton briefly considered a possible move before recommitting to the team in January 2016, followed by a contract extension two months later.

Since then, both Payton and the Saints have been rejuvenated with back-to-back NFC South titles in 2017 and 2018. They went 13-3 last year and fell just short of a second Super Bowl appearance, thanks in large part to the controversial missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship Game.

Payton's longevity is a rarity. He is one of just six coaches during the Super Bowl era to have lasted more than 10 years with the same team and to have at least two 11-win seasons after that first decade was over. The others are Belichick (nine), Tom Landry (eight), Don Shula (six), Bill Cowher (two) and Marvin Lewis (two).

California and Arizona State have moved into the AP Top 25 college football poll to give the Pac-12 six ranked teams, the most for the conference in almost four years.

A weekend filled with blowouts left the top half of the AP media poll presented by Regions Bank mostly unchanged.

Clemson remains No. 1, with 57 of the 62 first-place votes, as the top nine held their spots Sunday. Alabama was No. 2, receiving five first-place votes, followed by Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Auburn and Florida.

The ninth-ranked Gators were the only top-10 team to play a competitive game. The others won by a combined 428-97.

Utah, the highest-ranked Pac-12 team, moved up to No. 10. The last time the Pac-12 had six ranked teams was Nov. 8, 2015.

POLL POINTS

The Pac-12 took a fair amount of grief the first week of the season after it suffered a few upsets to Mountain West teams and Oregon let a potentially big victory slip away against Auburn.

Now the conference has had a mini-resurgence, despite issues with some of its typically strong teams.

Stanford started the season ranked but is 1-2 after getting dominated by UCF on Saturday. USC had a brief stay at the bottom of the rankings last week, falling out after losing in overtime at BYU on Saturday.

Overall, the results were OK this past weekend for the Pac-12. The conference went 8-4 in nonconference play, including Arizona State's victory at Michigan State and Arizona beating Texas Tech. Though Colorado's loss to Air Force put the Pac-12 at 4-4 against the Mountain West this season.

Utah is in the top 10 for the first time since November 2015.

OUT

• Michigan State fell from the rankings after its 10-7 loss to Arizona State. The Spartans were swept in a home-and-home by the Sun Devils the past two seasons by a combined 26-20.

• Maryland is out after one week. The Terrapins went from scoring 63 in a victory against Syracuse to losing 20-17 to Temple.

• The next three games for USC are against Utah at home, at No. 22 Washington and at No. 7 Notre Dame.

CONFERENCE CALL

For a second straight week, the Southeastern Conference has three top-five teams and half of the top 10.

SEC -- 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 17)

Pac-12 -- 6 (Nos. 10, 16, 19, 22, 23, 24)

Big Ten -- 55 (Nos. 6, 11, 13, 13 (tie), 18)

Big 12 -- 33 (Nos. 5, 12, 25)

ACC -- 2 (Nos. 1, 21)

American -- 11 (No. 15)

Mountain West -- 1 (No. 20)

Independent -- 1 (No. 7)

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 3 Georgia. Return match from Georgia's 20-19 victory in South Bend, Indiana, two years ago.

No. 11 Michigan at No. 13 Wisconsin. Fox's first Big Noon game, which is both big and starting at noon.

No. 8 Auburn at No. 17 Texas A&M. The whittling starts in the SEC West.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wide receiver Antonio Brown made an immediate impact in his New England Patriots debut, catching a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady late in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

Brown leapt into the stands after the play, as if he was taking a seat among spectators, before he was greeted by Brady. The two shared an embrace.

Brown was charted on the field for 13 of 35 offensive snaps in the first half (including penalties). He initially took the field on the second play and Brady immediately looked his way for an 18-yard gain over the middle.

Brown had two other catches on the opening drive, and then drew a holding penalty to set up the team's first touchdown -- a 1-yard run by Sony Michel.

Brown's touchdown catch made him the 72nd player to catch a regular-season touchdown pass from Brady, which extends an NFL record for the 42-year-old quarterback. On the play, Brown was covered by cornerback Jomal Wiltz and officials deemed he didn't extend his arms to create separation on a beautiful throw from Brady.

The Patriots are mixing use of their receivers, with Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman starting in the two-receiver package. Phillip Dorsett and Brown have rotated as the third receiver, and the team ran two plays with four receivers on the field at the same time in the first half.

Brown is wearing jersey number 17. Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson has Brown's old number, 84, and he is serving a four-game NFL suspension. Brown's father, Eddie, wore the number 17 in the Arena Football League.

Also, Patriots starting LT Isaiah Wynn has been ruled out with a foot injury.

BEIJING -- A record 54 NBA players took part in the FIBA World Cup over the past 16 days, a true commitment with training camps scheduled to open in two weeks.

The performance of the 12 who played for Team USA was well documented. Though Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell and a few others had some impressive moments, it wasn't a tournament to remember for those players.

But there were some strong efforts by some international players that would be of interest to NBA fans. In all, NBA players represented 17 countries while in China. Here's a look at the NBA players who had the most impactful World Cup:

Ricky Rubio, Spain

Now one of most experienced international players, Rubio played with a vision and aggression befitting his experience. Spain has a number of experienced players, but he drove it to the title, scoring 20 points in the championship game to cement World Cup MVP honors. He shot the 3-pointer better than in the past, 38 percent. If he carries it to training camp, it will be a true boost for the Phoenix Suns.

Marc Gasol, Spain

He took only one week off between the NBA Finals and reporting to the national team, making his strong play even more impressive. He played 39 minutes and scored 33 points in a double-overtime win in the semifinals against Australia, one of his best performances in a long career for Spain, in what turned out to be the vital one in winning the gold.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia

He shot 36 percent from 3-point range for the Sacramento Kings last season but he was relentless throughout the World Cup, nailing 53 percent of his 3s and making an average of four per game. Granted, the line is closer in international play, but everything about his shot looked smooth and his confidence was great. He averaged 22.9 points and was unquestionably one of the best guards in China as he was named to the all-tournament team.

Evan Fournier, France

Here is the kind of guy Fournier is: As soon as he got his bronze medal, he gave it away, saying he already had one from 2014 at home. Then he criticized American friends, like former Orlando Magic teammate Tobias Harris, for not coming to play. He played with the same fearless attitude throughout the tournament. He battered Team USA and even though he didn't shoot great down the stretch, finished at 41 percent from 3-point range and averaged 19.8 points in the event. Still unclear: whether he gave away the watch he got for making the all-tournament team.

Patty Mills, Australia

When suiting up for his national team, Mills plays with tremendous pace and a scoring mindset, like a FIBA combo of Steve Nash and Allen Iverson. He zipped all over the floor, keeping the dribble alive and looking to shoot at any moment. Mills probably could never play that way in the NBA, but he ended up as third-leading scorer in the Cup, averaging 22.8 points.

Rudy Gobert, France

The Utah Jazz center and reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year crushed Team USA with 21 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks in France's quarterfinal victory. He did what he does, finishing second in the Cup in blocks and fourth in rebounds. He was outplayed by 39-year-old Luis Scola in the semifinals, but overall he played like an All-NBA player.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

The 2019 NBA MVP's numbers were OK -- 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals -- so that's why he made this list. That said, he didn't come close to having the impact that was assumed. The FIBA style of defense and some of the rules bothered him, and he didn't look comfortable. There was only one game where he truly took control (not that this performance defines him in any way).

Aron Baynes, Australia

Following in the path of Brook Lopez, Baynes started shooting 3-pointers for the Boston Celtics last season. He'd made four in his whole career, then made 21 in 2018-19. That conversion is progressing, and he showed this summer that his new team, the Phoenix Suns, could benefit. Baynes nailed 52 percent of his 3s in the Cup and bothered Gobert with five of them in a win over France in the second round.

Tomas Satoransky, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic became one of the surprise teams of the tournament, and Satoransky was a big reason why. He showed tremendous playmaking in China, finishing second by averaging 8.5 assists to go along with 15.5 points per game. His play made the Chicago Bulls' choice to sign him to a three-year, $30 million deal in the offseason look good.

Atlanta Braves utility man Charlie Culberson suffered multiple facial fractures after being hit on the right cheekbone by a 91 mph fastball on Saturday, the team announced Sunday.

Culberson has been cleared to travel from Washington to Atlanta, where he will meet Sunday with the team's doctors to determine the next steps in his treatment, the team said.

Culberson was pinch hitting for starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz with two on and no out in the seventh of a 1-1 game Saturday when he was hit on the first pitch thrown by Washington Nationals reliever Fernando Rodney.

The Braves won Saturday's game 10-1 to clinch a playoff berth.

Mike Trout has been trying to get back in the lineup, but that plan will be put on hold because the Los Angeles Angels slugger will have surgery on his foot.

The team announced that Trout will have a thickening of tissue around the nerves -- a Morton's neuroma -- in the ball of his right foot removed later this week.

Trout missed his eighth straight game Sunday but has been testing the foot the past few days to see if he could get back on the field. The team said in a statement that he was still experiencing too much pain to play.

Trout, who leads the American League with 45 homers, had an injection of cold fluid in the area of his foot Monday in an attempt to get back on the field.

Karolina Pliskova swept past Petra Martic in straight sets to win the WTA Zhengzhou Open in China.

Pliskova only needed 77 minutes to beat the Croatian 6-3 6-2 in a rain-interrupted final for her fourth tournament success of 2019.

The Czech player, top seed at the event, only dropped one set all week on her way to the title.

Victory in Zhengzhou followed earlier titles in Brisbane, Rome and Eastbourne for the 26-year-old.

The world number two will close the gap on Australia's Ashleigh Barty in the rankings, however she has yet to secure a first Grand Slam title. Her best performance this year was reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January before losing to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.