Not much can stop the Utah Jazz right now. The owners of the best record in the NBA have won 18 of their past 19 games heading into Monday's heavyweight showdown with the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers.

Speaking of the East, the Boston Celtics continue to slide both in the standings and on our list. A 1-3 week -- and seven losses in the past 10 games -- sends Boston down to .500 and fifth in the conference.

Where do all 30 teams stand now? Let's dive into our Week 9 rankings.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Eric Woodyard, Royce Young and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

1. Utah Jazz
2020-21 record: 22-5
Previous ranking: 2

The Jazz have 16 double-digit wins during their 18-1 run, joining 1970-71 Bucks and 2008-09 Cavaliers as the only teams to record so many 10-plus-point victories over a 19-game span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. An underrated piece of Utah's success: forward Royce O'Neale, who was the primary defender on Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler in the Jazz's three convincing wins this week. "He's All-Defensive Team. That's where he should be at the end of the season, if he keeps it going," two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert said. -- MacMahon

This week: PHI, @LAC, @LAC

2. Los Angeles Lakers
2020-21 record: 21-7
Previous ranking: 1

The Lakers' seven-game win streak was starting to feel a little flimsy, as they needed three straight overtime victories (one against Detroit, two against Oklahoma City) and then a 20-point comeback against Memphis to keep it going. Sure enough, it was snapped Sunday in Denver. What really matters for this team is what an MRI on Anthony Davis' strained right Achilles tendon will show on Monday. -- McMenamin

This week: @MIN, BKN, MIA

3. LA Clippers
2020-21 record: 20-8
Previous ranking: 3

Just as Patrick Beverley was getting comfortable back from injury, Kawhi Leonard sat out Sunday's game with a lower left leg contusion. He joined Paul George (swollen toe) on the sideline as they cheered on the Clippers to their third straight victory. It remains to be seen when Leonard and George will return. But considering the Clippers play the second of a back-to-back on Monday as part of five games in a week, they might play it safe with their two stars. Even with the disruptions to the lineup, the Clippers have won 14 of their past 18 games. -- Youngmisuk

This week: MIA, UTA, UTA, BRK

4. Philadelphia 76ers
2020-21 record: 18-9
Previous ranking: 4

The era of good feelings is over in the City of Brotherly Love after Philadelphia dropped back-to-back games against elite Western Conference competition. Things won't get any easier on Monday, when the Sixers end their road trip at Utah against the NBA-best Jazz. It should be an epic showdown between Joel Embiid, one of the front-runners for this season's MVP award, and Rudy Gobert, who is well on his way to yet another NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. -- Bontemps

This week: @UTA, HOU, CHI, @TOR

5. Phoenix Suns
2020-21 record: 17-9
Previous ranking: 7

The Suns have won nine of their past 10 games and are on a six-game winning streak after Sunday's win over the Magic. The current run is tied for their second-longest such streak in the past 10 seasons, behind only last season's 8-0 bubble performance. Devin Booker has been on fire the past four games, averaging 32.3 points while shooting 56.3% overall. He had three consecutive games of at least 30 points for the first time this season and started Sunday's game outscoring Orlando by himself in the first quarter, 17-16, before finishing with 27. -- Lopez

This week: BRK, @NOP, @MEM

6. Milwaukee Bucks
2020-21 record: 16-11
Previous ranking: 5

Giannis Antetokounmpo hates losing, but he also sees the bigger picture. Following Friday's loss to Utah, he said his goal is to "play the best basketball at the end." His focus has shifted this season from finishing with the league's best record to being at his best when it matters. "That's my mindset," he explained in Salt Lake City. "I want to improve each game." In the present, the Bucks have lost three straight, as Jrue Holiday remains out of the lineup due to the league's health and safety protocols. -- Woodyard

This week: TOR, TOR, OKC, SAC

7. Brooklyn Nets
2020-21 record: 16-12
Previous ranking: 6

Kevin Durant was back -- again -- from health and safety protocols, and maybe now the Nets can begin to establish an identity and carve out their place among the East's elite teams. It's been rocky since they traded for James Harden, with Kyrie Irving's personal absence and then Durant missing a week; but as the trio plays more together, the chemistry appears to build. Irving unreluctantly turned over point guard duties to Harden as roles define themselves. It looked like the Nets were finally primed to go on a roll and ... Durant is out at least two games with a mild hamstring strain. Welp. -- Young

This week: @SAC, @PHX, @LAL, @LAC

8. Denver Nuggets
2020-21 record: 15-11
Previous ranking: 8

The Nuggets started last week with their third straight loss, to Milwaukee. But Michael Malone has the Nuggets back on track with a three-game winning streak that includes their biggest win of the season, over the Lakers. Nikola Jokic continues his MVP campaign as he collected his sixth triple-double of the season Sunday night. Health, though, is a major key for the Nuggets, who were already without Gary Harris and then lost Paul Millsap to a left knee sprain against the Lakers. -- Youngmisuk

This week: @BOS, @WAS, @CHA, @ATL

9. Portland Trail Blazers
2020-21 record: 16-10
Previous ranking: 12

It was Dame Time in Big D, with Damian Lillard serving up one dagger missile after another to finish off the Mavericks on Sunday. Quietly, the Blazers have won four straight and six of their past seven and are settling into the top six of the West. With all the attrition the Blazers have battled already this season -- injuries to Jusuf Nurkic, CJ McCollum and Zach Collins -- to be in the upper half of the West is an accomplishment. And it begs the question: At fourth in the league in scoring, ninth in assists and maybe first in leadership, shouldn't Dame be in the MVP conversation by now? -- Young

This week: @OKC, @NOP, WAS

10. San Antonio Spurs
2020-21 record: 16-11
Previous ranking: 10

With LaMarcus Aldridge missing time due to a hip injury, San Antonio has found a new starting lineup that is paying dividends. The Spurs improved to 4-0 this season when they start Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl. That group has already played the fifth-most minutes of any Spurs five-man lineup this season and carries a net rating of plus-18.4. By comparison, the Spurs' most frequently used lineup this season -- replacing Aldridge for Poeltl and Lonnie Walker IV for White -- has a minus-12.5 net rating in 216 minutes. -- Lopez

This week: @DET, @CLE, @NYK

11. Indiana Pacers
2020-21 record: 14-13
Previous ranking: 11

After four consecutive losses, Indiana bounced back with two much-needed road wins against Detroit and Atlanta on Thursday and Sunday. In his past 10 games, Domantas Sabonis is putting up 21.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field. -- Woodyard

This week: CHI, @MIN, @HOU

12. Boston Celtics
2020-21 record: 13-13
Previous ranking: 9

Things are blue in Boston, as the Celtics have dropped four of their past five games -- including losses to Detroit at home on Friday and at Washington on Sunday. Those two games highlighted the season-long issues Boston has had generating offense beyond their stars. Players not named Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or Kemba Walker combined to shoot 25-for-76 (32.9%) overall and 7-for-36 (19.4%) from 3-point range in those two losses, reigniting the talk about whether Boston will bolster its bench before next month's trade deadline. -- Bontemps

This week: DEN, ATL, ATL, @NOP

13. Golden State Warriors
2020-21 record: 14-13
Previous ranking: 13

Kevin Durant shared some hugs and handshakes with his former teammates and coaches in a happy reunion in the San Francisco Bay Area -- especially for the victorious Nets. A split against the Spurs and a win over an injury-riddled Magic squad brought the Warriors back to a familiar sight: a 2-2 record on the week. The good news for the Warriors is that aside from Saturday's clunker, Stephen Curry continues to play some of the best basketball of his career. -- Friedell

This week: CLE, MIA, @ORL, @CHA

14. Dallas Mavericks
2020-21 record: 13-15
Previous ranking: 21

Luka Doncic scored 90 points over the weekend, the most in Mavs history over a two-game span. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the only players younger than Doncic to have back-to-back 40-point games are LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson. Doncic has averaged 34.3 points with .503/.444/.849 shooting splits and 9.6 assists while the Mavs won five of their past seven games. A major concern, though: Dallas has allowed a league-worst 125.4 points per 100 possessions during that stretch. -- MacMahon

This week: DET, @HOU

15. New York Knicks
2020-21 record: 13-15
Previous ranking: 19

Quietly, the Knicks just keep winning. Victories over the Wizards and Rockets this weekend have the Knicks up to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, and the young guys continue to get minutes under coach Tom Thibodeau. The loss of Mitchell Robinson, who fractured his hand on Friday against Washington and will miss several weeks, obviously hurts; but it also could open up an opportunity for rookie Obi Toppin to begin expanding his role off the bench. -- Bontemps

This week: ATL, @ORL, SAS, MIN

16. Charlotte Hornets
2020-21 record: 13-15
Previous ranking: 22

LaMelo Ball is quickly becoming one of the most interesting stories in the league. The rookie guard had another huge week, averaging 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists over his past four contests. Terry Rozier had 41 points in Friday's win over the Timberwolves. The Hornets are still searching for more consistency, like so many other teams in the league, but their offense -- led by Rozier, Ball and veteran Gordon Hayward -- appears to be coming together. -- Friedell

This week: CHI, DEN, GSW

17. Toronto Raptors
2020-21 record: 12-15
Previous ranking: 18

Every time it feels like the Raptors are ready to take a step forward, they take at least one back. Look no further than losing at home to the lowly Timberwolves -- playing without D'Angelo Russell -- on Sunday night. It's obviously a bizarre season for the Raptors, given they are playing the entire campaign away from home; but at some point, the old version of this team has to show up on a regular basis ... right? -- Bontemps

This week: @MIL, @MIL, @MIN, PHI

18. Sacramento Kings
2020-21 record: 12-14
Previous ranking: 16

After falling apart in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia -- a disappointing yet understandable result against one of the league's best teams -- the Kings had two clunkers in losses to Orlando and Memphis to complete their 0-3 week. But hey, Tyrese Haliburton was good, even in the losses. So fear not, Kings fans. All is not lost. -- McMenamin

This week: BRK, MIA, @CHI, @MIL

19. Miami Heat
2020-21 record: 11-15
Previous ranking: 24

Miami is finally starting to climb out of the early-season hole that injuries and COVID-19 protocols helped create. They've won four of their past five, including Thursday's decision over the Rockets during which Jimmy Butler racked up a triple-double. They've still got five games left on a long West Coast swing, but the defense that defined some of their best stretches last season appears to be showing up. Since giving up 129 points to the Hornets in a Feb. 1 overtime loss, the Heat are yielding just 100.5 a game over their past six contests. -- Friedell

This week: @LAC, @GSW, @SAC, @LAL

20. Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21 record: 11-11
Previous ranking: 17

Big man Jonas Valanciunas has come back strong after being sidelined for a few weeks due to health and safety protocols. He has averaged 21.8 points and 12.6 rebounds in five games since his return, shooting 68.3% from the floor during that span. Point guard Ja Morant has fed Valanciunas for 12 buckets over those five games and has three straight double-doubles for the first time in his career. -- MacMahon

This week: NOP, OKC, DET, PHX

21. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 11-15
Previous ranking: 15

The Hawks made a big splash in free agency this summer, but injuries have prevented those players from making an impact: Danilo Gallinari (14 games, 40.8% shooting), Rajon Rondo (14 games, 3.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 34.5% shooting), Bogdan Bogdanovic (nine games, 9.9 points, 38.5% shooting and hasn't played since Jan. 9) and Kris Dunn (has not played this season because of an ankle injury) all have not made the impact Atlanta hoped for when bringing them aboard in the offseason. -- Lopez

This week: @NYK, @BOS, @BOS, DEN

22. New Orleans Pelicans
2020-21 record: 11-15
Previous ranking: 20

After a four-game winning streak made it seem like the Pelicans had figured things out, the defense took steps backward over their most recent three losses. New Orleans gave up 25 3-pointers to Chicago, 25 to Dallas and 17 to Detroit. The 67 3-pointers yielded in that span are the most ever given up over a three-game period in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Pelicans are now 29th in the league in defensive rating -- and over the past three games, that stat is a mind-blowing 136.7. -- Lopez

This week: @MEM, POR, PHX, BOS

23. Houston Rockets
2020-21 record: 11-15
Previous ranking: 14

After a run of seven wins in eight games, the Rockets have lost five in a row since Christian Wood went down with a sprained right ankle. Houston is averaging only 98.8 points during the skid, which includes three blowouts by more than 20 points. "Right now, we're at the lowest point we've been all season. We have nowhere to go but up." DeMarcus Cousins said. -- MacMahon

This week: @WAS, @PHI, DAL, IND

24. Oklahoma City Thunder
2020-21 record: 11-15
Previous ranking: 25

It's unlikely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will get much All-Star consideration, but his season is certainly worthy. He is averaging 22.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, while hitting 50.6% from the field and 38.2% from 3. For some context, three other third-year players in the past 20 seasons have posted at least 22 points per game on 50% shooting: Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Anthony Davis. And if you're wondering, those three all made the All-Star Game that season. -- Young

This week: POR, @MEM, @MIL, @CLE

25. Chicago Bulls
2020-21 record: 10-15
Previous ranking: 26

Although the Bulls went 1-2 for the week, Zach LaVine continues to strengthen his case as an All-Star. During Wednesday's 129-116 win over New Orleans, LaVine put up a season-high 46 points with nine 3-pointers. (Chicago also hit a franchise-record 25 3-pointers on the night.) During that same game, LaVine and teammate Coby White (eight 3-pointers) became the first duo in NBA history to make at least eight 3s apiece in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. -- Woodyard

This week: @IND, @CHA, @PHI, SAC

26. Orlando Magic
2020-21 record: 10-18
Previous ranking: 27

Steve Clifford's team has a variety of injury issues, as evidenced by only having eight healthy players during a blowout loss to the Suns on Sunday night. The only good news came on Friday night, as Nikola Vucevic dropped 42 points in a surprise win over the Kings. At 10-18, the Magic might need a reset during the All-Star break more than any team in the league. -- Friedell

This week: NYK, GSW, DET

27. Cleveland Cavaliers
2020-21 record: 10-18
Previous ranking: 23

The Cavs are on a free fall after an 0-4 week dropped their record to 1-9 in their past 10 games. The nadir came with a 133-95 loss in Denver when they were doubled up in the first quarter, 34-17, after starting two centers in Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen. They play Golden State on Monday, another reminder of how tough things are right now after those four straight Finals trips not too long ago. -- McMenamin

This week: @GSW, SAS, OKC

28. Detroit Pistons
2020-21 record: 8-19
Previous ranking: 30

The Pistons might have the second-worst record in the East, but they are certainly competing. Last Saturday, they lost a double-overtime thriller to the defending champion Lakers; and Detroit carried that momentum into this week with big wins over Brooklyn, Boston and New Orleans. Rookie forward Saddiq Bey went off for a career-best 30 points, including a clutch 3-pointer, to seal the victory in Boston, while Mason Plumlee's first career triple-double lifted Detroit on Sunday. -- Woodyard

This week: SAS, @DAL, @MEM, @ORL

29. Washington Wizards
2020-21 record: 7-17
Previous ranking: 28

The good thing is that after a dismal 3-12 start that included a COVID-19 outbreak within the team, the Wizards have won four of their past nine games. It's a start! And their victory over Boston on Sunday marked the first time the defense-compromised Wizards actually held an opponent to under 100 all season. But with 48 games left, the Wizards must find more consistency and better D to have any shot at a play-in spot in the East. -- Youngmisuk

This week: HOU, DEN, @POR

30. Minnesota Timberwolves
2020-21 record: 7-20
Previous ranking: 29

Karl-Anthony Towns returned from a challenging battle with COVID-19 and helped end a four-game losing streak for the Wolves with a strong win on Sunday against the Raptors. But this season has been so choppy for Minnesota, with few games at full strength. After trading for D'Angelo Russell last season, they saw the pairing with KAT only one time. It was an upside to this season to let the partnership grow. But with Russell out with leg soreness for the last week, they've only played in four games this season together, in which the Wolves are 2-2. -- Young

This week: LAL, IND, TOR, @NYK

Spring training has arrived. It might sound cliché, even corny, but for those who love baseball, these are the best four words in the English language:

Pitchers and catchers report.

Spring training signals that winter and cold weather soon will be gone, ahead is sunshine, warmth, hope, grass as green as a highway sign and road trips to and across Florida and Arizona. It means school will be out before long, summer vacations will commence and the wonderful rhythm of a baseball season will begin.

And yet, right now, it doesn't feel like right. It doesn't feel like spring training. Mostly because of COVID-19, which makes many inside and outside the sport wonder if we should even be starting spring training until life is safer, until more vaccines can be administered. There's a concern among baseball executives, and those in uniform, that before we even get to the exhibition games in March, there will be so many positive tests that the sport will have to be paused. You can pause basketball, and the second it starts up again, Steph Curry is going to be knocking down a ridiculous 3 drifting to his left.

You pause baseball, as we learned last spring training, you have to start all over again.

"It's my favorite time of the year, but it's not going to be as much fun, and I don't think it's bad to acknowledge that," Indians manager Tito Francona said. "Sitting around in the morning, having coffee with the coaches, talking about the first-to-third play, the bunt plays, seeing all the players that you haven't seen all winter. I love that. But I think it's going to be even more different than people realize. It's going to be a challenge. I am worried about the potential starts and stops."

There are the warnings and realism of Red Sox manager Alex Cora: "It's going to be different, very different. We're going to try to play 20 to 30 games following every guideline and protocol. It is going to require a lot of discipline. It's still baseball and it's still fun, but we have to understand that, some days, it's not going to be fun. There will be obstacles. Everyone has to be in the right frame of mind. The biggest obstacle is sticking to the guidelines, being together and not being selfish. We are blessed that we get to play this game during a pandemic, but if you are selfish at home and then bring that to your extended family at the ballpark, it won't work.''

There is the understanding of Rays infielder Brandon Lowe: "I think it's going to take some getting used to, but I am comfortable that if we follow the protocols like we did last year, we are going to be OK. The worst-case scenario would be if we stopped spring training like we did last year. That would be terrible. But we saw that football played a whole season. Hopefully, that will to happen with us. I'm not a worst-case scenario guy; I think we're going to be fine.''

And there is the optimism and hope of Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who said: "What we went through last year is going to help a lot this spring. We were close to having the game taken away from us. We learned again how much we love it, and how much we need it in our lives. We are going to spring training. We still have an opportunity to do what we wanted to do as little kids. You can't beat that.''

Fans will be limited, crowd size way down, their freedom of movement restricted, which will be shatteringly sad. It is a rite of spring for fans, often with their children at their side, to wander through the fields of their team's complex, watch the kid who shined the year before in Class A, maybe get a player's autograph as he runs from batting practice to infield work. Last spring, at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, thousands showed to see Gerrit Cole's first BP session.

There are few things better than a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Scottsdale after the Giants just finished a game in their absurdly charming little downtown ballpark. Spring training won't be the same without fans eating a picnic lunch on a blanket on a hill beyond the center-field fence.

"I love the fans in spring training," Francona said. "I love walking down the foul line before games, meeting people and signing autographs."

"Spring training is my favorite time of year,'' Diamondbacks catcher Stephen Vogt said. "There is a buzz in the air. Every team feels like it has a chance to win the World Series. The fans feel that, too. You can't replicate that."

Not all the players will be in spring training, which isn't entirely the fault of COVID-19. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the owners have had a contentious offseason, which is nothing new. But this isn't the time for petty fighting and arranging bargain chips for Dec. 1 when the collective bargaining agreement expires. This is a time for complete collaboration between the sides to pull off spring training -- and a 162-game season -- in the midst of a pandemic.

More than 100 free agents, most of them deserving of a major league contract, will be sitting at home when spring training begins. Some of the names: Jackie Bradley Jr., Trevor Rosenthal and Jake Odorizzi. There is no money left for them, say the owners -- or, say the owners, they are asking for too much money.

Spring training is supposed to be a time to leave the offseason behind, to talk about the contact play, not a contract play. It's a time to concentrate on who's in camp. Sadly, too much time will be spent on who's not in camp.

"That worries me a lot,'' Vogt said. "It's not right. Quality players still don't have a team. Teams are not ready."

Not everyone is as concerned.

"I'm not worried,'' Cora said. "We've been through something similar, in 2017-18. It sucks that it's a trend, but it is. But big leaguers are big leaguers. And I'm sure that by Opening Day, the big leaguers will be in the big leagues.''

Most of the media won't be there, including me. No sympathy wanted or required, but this will be the first time in 41 years that I won't go to spring training. Most of us will cover it from a great distance, via Zoom. That's not the same as sidling up next to a manager at the batting cage and casually asking "How was your winter? Did you do anything fun?'' and having then-Rockies manager Clint Hurdle say this: "I drove a team of sled dogs in Alaska.''

Or then-Giants manager Bruce Bochy: "I tried skiing. I thought I could do it, I'm still somewhat athletic. As it turns out, I'm not. I got on the ski lift, then I kind of slipped off, and the lift hit me in the back of the head. My gloves and skis and hat went flying. It looked like a yard sale. I didn't try to ski after that. I went to the lodge and had a beer.''

For baseball writers who are there, it will be strange and unsatisfying to cover spring training from the press box or in a roped-off section of the stands. Spring training coverage is about wandering around a back field as three guys take some swings. It's about attending a "B" game at 9 a.m., which I did in 1986, prompting Orioles manager Earl Weaver to ask this: "What are you doing here? What is wrong with you? Don't you have anything else to do with life?''

Spring training is about watching a simulated game when a young pitcher faces his veteran teammates for the first time. In spring training 1984, in the first live batting practice in the first major league camp for Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, he threw one pitch that missed the entire batting cage, hitting a tire on the side of the cage. Then he hit Alan Bannister with a pitch. Rangers veterans Buddy Bell and Larry Parrish refused to hit against Williams.

"It's OK," Williams said. "I didn't want to kill a teammate in my first spring in big league camp.''

Spring training is when you meet players for the first time, so when they make their major league debut in September, you have a working knowledge of who they are. The first time I met Royce Lewis, a young shortstop in the Twins' system, he came rolling into the clubhouse at 8 a.m. on a skateboard. The first time I met Rangers outfielder Mickey Rivers in spring training 1982, he F-bombed me for no reason, then walked away. He quickly became one of the guys I loved to talk to. Three weeks into that spring training, the Mick, who was making $450,000 a year, asked me if he could borrow $2,000.

"Mick,'' I said, "I make $14,000 a year. I don't have $2,000.''

Spring training is when players meet new teammates and really get to know them. In Michael Cuddyer's first big league camp with the Twins, he ingratiated himself to his teammates by showing a table of veterans, including star center fielder Kirby Puckett, a magic trick. Cuddyer so dazzled the group he immediately became one of the guys. Years later, Cuddyer did a spectacular magic trick for new teammate Luis Castillo. Castillo was so spooked, the next day, he moved his locker to get farther way from Cuddyer.

Spring training means some players happily attach a microphone to their jerseys. Two years ago, Mookie Betts, while playing right field, told us about changing diapers and showed us his golf swing. He yelled as he chased a ball into the right-field corner: "I ain't getting to that one, fellas.''

Last spring, Freddie Freeman took off from first base on a high pop-up to left-center field and screamed "It's in the wind! It's in the wind!'. Oh, the wind took it. Freeman scored from first on a 150-foot pop-up, slid across the plate, raised his arms and pointed joyously toward the broadcast booth at ex-teammate Chipper Jones, who was in tears laughing.

Spring training means bus trips to games, often fully dressed, a ritual that humanizes and humbles the players, taking them back to their roots.

In 1999, Rockies pitcher David Lee earned the nickname "Diesel." On one long bus trip in spring training, the bus driver got sick, so David Lee offered to drive. After about a hundred miles, he pulled into a gas station and announced to the team that "We have to get some diesel!''

Players often stay in hotels in spring training; not all of them stay in opulent places on the beach or a golf course. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, the spring after hitting 53 home runs, stayed in the team hotel. One day we did a ride-along with him to the ballpark. We got to the hotel and he was walking his little dog, Brodie, in the parking lot at 5:30 a.m. We drove to the ballpark together, stopped for his complicated coffee order. He gave us a sample of his homemade deer jerky.

"It's better than the hot links that you'll get at the gas station,'' he said.

Things happen in spring training that can't happen any other time of year.

Padres teammates Chris Young and Will Venable played basketball at Princeton. So they decided to have a free throw shooting contest in spring training. Young and Venable were the team captains.

"That was as nervous as I've ever been in any athletic competition,'' Young said. "My team was counting on me because I played college basketball. But I wasn't a good free throw shooter.''

In 1993, Marlins center fielder Chuck Carr drove his own car 1,000 miles to spring training. He said he stopped at as many pool halls as he could along the way.

"And I took a lot of people's money,'' he said.

Only in spring training would then-Rockies pitcher Jeremy Guthrie ride his bike to the ballpark every day.

"He pitched in a game in Scottsdale, then got on his bike -- still in full uniform -- with his glove on his handlebars and rode 5 miles back to our facility'' Cuddyer said. "It was like a scene from 'The Sandlot.'''

The Mets' spring training facility was built over a hunting preserve. In the first spring training there, manager Davey Johnson told his pitchers to do their long-distance running through a trail in the woods. One day, pitcher Sid Fernandez, screaming, raced out of the woods.

"There's a monster in there!'' he shouted.

He had been chased by a warthog.

The Rangers' spring training facility for part of the 1980s was in Pompano Beach, Florida. It was located next to an airstrip where the Goodyear Blimp was stationed.

"I got to drive the blimp once,'' then-Rangers coach Rich Donnelly said. "We drove it as low as we could. We drove it over the team hotel where our players were on the roof drinking. We were yelling at them from inside the blimp. The blimp was the highlight of my spring.''

Only in spring training would Barry Bonds, wearing a wig on top of the dugout, be Paula Abdul in an "American Idol" spoof with Giants teammates.

Only in spring training would Rangers manager Doug Rader have a picnic for his players, who were playing poorly at the time, on blankets in center field before a game.

Only in spring training could Charley Pride work out with the Rangers, Garth Brooks get into a game with the Padres and Billy Crystal actually make contact against Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm

In 2003, Indians pitcher Brian Anderson, 30 minutes into a bus ride to Vero Beach, realized that he had forgotten to pack his hat, spikes and glove in Winter Haven.

"When we got to Vero,'' he said, "I was in full panic mode. I borrowed a car and went to a mall, but there wasn't one glove in the whole mall. But I found some Adidas spikes. Then I saw a Walmart. I thought, 'Hey, Walmart has everything -- tires, produce -- it must have a baseball glove.' I found one -- $29.95 -- already broken in. It was a softball glove, a Wilson. It was awful. I borrowed someone's hat and pitched in the game. Of course, I got three come-backers to the mound and I caught them all because my new glove was as big as a butterfly net. It made [Braves pitcher Greg] Maddux's glove look small. That day reminded me of when I was 17 playing [American] Legion ball. That is spring training to me.''

This time, though, it's not going to be a traditional, relaxing, fun spring training. There will be no alligators, monsters in the woods, magic tricks, sandlots, blimps, deer jerky, free throws or pitchers driving the team bus. It's not going to be the same -- but it is spring training, so we'll take it. Let's just get through it, let's keep everyone safe and get to April 1 in one piece.

"This will be my 14th spring training, and it's not going to be near what we're used to having in spring training,'' Vogt said. "We don't like it, but this is how is has to be. I'm bummed that we're not going to have normalcy again, but I'm still excited. It's my favorite time of year. It's spring training.''

For the breakout prospects portion of this year's look at the top young players in baseball, I'm looking at prospects ranking below a 45+ future value (FV sums up the total future value of a player into one number). Drawing the line there removes the top 167 prospects in baseball and pinpoints the best candidates to move up in 2021 -- in some cases onto next year's top 100.

If you're looking for the current top 100 prospects who will be on the top 10-20 next year, I reference them on that list and I'll go even deeper on my team-by-team lists later in the week, but my best candidates are Riley Greene, Grayson Rodriguez and Corbin Carroll. Some other big risers (Matt Canterino, Slade Cecconi, Oswald Peraza, Seth Johnson) rose too much based on what they did at the alternate site and/or instructional league to qualify for this list.

Here is (at least) one player on each of MLB's 30 teams who could put up a breakout performance in the minors in 2021.

Serena Williams is "not obsessed" with equalling the record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles but still wants to win, says her coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Williams' last major came at Melbourne Park while she was pregnant in 2017.

"Does she need that validation? I don't think she needs that validation," said Mouratoglou about chasing a 24th title.

Australian Court set a record that straddled the amateur and Open eras, with 13 of her victories coming in the pre-professional age before 1968.

Williams, whose daughter Olympia is now three years old, has lost four finals since her last victory in a Grand Slam, including against Halep at Wimbledon in 2019.

"Clearly she came back to tennis to win some other Grand Slams, so that's for sure the goal," added Mouratoglou.

"Now, she's not as obsessed with the 24 than most of the people in the tennis world, but definitely she wants to win Grand Slams.

"There is tennis before the Open era and tennis after the Open era. We all know it's two different sports. It's an amateur sport and a professional sport. It doesn't really make sense to compare."

'Wimbledon final was best day of my life'

Williams leads their head-to-head record 9-2 but Halep produced one of the great recent Grand Slam performances to win that Wimbledon final two years ago.

"The game, I think it was one of the best in my life," said the Romanian. "The best day of my life. I felt very confident back then. I felt every ball.

"We played so many times. I know what to expect. I will just try to do my game, and I will be confident."

Japan's Naomi Osaka is also in action on Tuesday against Hsieh Su-wei, who at 35 became the oldest player to reach a first Slam quarter-final in the Open era.

"She's one of those players that, for me, if it was a video game, I would want to select her character just to play as her," said 2019 champion Osaka.

"Because my mind can't fathom the choices she makes when she's on the court. It's so fun to watch. It's not fun to play against, but it's really fun to watch."

Britain's Alfie Hewett will face Belgian Joachim Gerard in the final of the Australian Open men's wheelchair singles event.

"I just tried to relish the occasion and produce the tennis needed to beat Shingo, who is a fighter," said Hewett.

Gerard ended hopes of an all-British decider when he got past Gordon Reid 4-6 7-5 6-3.

Hewett and Reid will contest Tuesday's men's doubles final after beating Kunieda and Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez.

The British pair, the top seeds at Melbourne Park, came through 10-7 in a third-set tie-break and will face France's Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in a repeat of last year's decider, which was one of the three Grand Slam doubles finals won by the Britons in 2020.

"Doubles has been a highlight for us recently, but we had to dig deep to get over the line," said Reid.

However, Andy Lapthorne lost in the last four of the quad singles, beaten 6-2 6-2 by rising star Sam Schroder from the Netherlands, who won last year's US Open.

But Lapthorne and doubles partner David Wagner from the United States will contest the doubles final thanks to a 6-1 6-4 success over Japan's Koji Sugeno and American Nick Taylor.

Lucy Shuker will contest the women's doubles final alongside South African Kgothatso Montjane after beating Colombia's Angelica Bernal and Chile's Macarena Cabrillana 6-1 6-4.

Naman Ojha, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Madhya Pradesh who played four matches for India across the three formats between 2010 and 2015, has quit the game at the age of 37, bringing the curtain down on a first-class career that started back in the 2000-01 season.

Ojha, a top-order batsman and wicketkeeper, played most of his domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh, and made a mark with India A on the 2014 tour of Australia, when he scored three consecutive centuries, including a double-century, in the first-class games. That came after a prolific season in 2013-14, when he scored 835 runs in seven Ranji Trophy matches, and after the 'A' tour, Ojha got called up to the India Test side in England as a replacement for Wriddhiman Saha, the reserve wicketkeeper to MS Dhoni at the time.

Ojha didn't get to play a Test on that tour, but remained on the radar of the selectors, and played his only Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August-September 2015, scoring useful runs (21 and 35) and effecting five dismissals. Overall in 146 first-class games, Ojha scored 9753 runs, with 22 centuries and 55 half-centuries, at an average of 41.67 to go with 471 dismissals. In List A cricket, he scored 4278 runs from 143 games, and in T20s, 2972 runs from 182 games.

He also played one ODI, in Harare against Sri Lanka in June 2010, when he opened the batting and was dismissed for 1. He played that game as a specialist batsman, with Dinesh Karthik keeping wickets. Ojha's two T20I appearances came in back-to-back matches on India's tour of Zimbabwe in mid-2010, in which he failed to impress, scoring 2 and 10 opening the innings.

Ojha, Madhya Pradesh's captain following Devendra Bundela's retirement in 2018, also had a successful run in the IPL. He played for the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals), the Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad since his maiden season in 2009, totaling 1554 runs in 113 matches at a strike rate of 118.35, hitting six half-centuries including a best of 94* for the Royals against the Chennai Super Kings in 2010.

More to follow...

Three days before the IPL 2021 auction, Australian allrounder Glenn Maxwell has said he wouldn't mind playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as that would allow him to fulfil the desire of playing alongside his "idol": AB de Villiers.

"That'll be awesome. AB [is] one of my idols and one of the guys I've always tried to watch the way he goes about [things]," Maxwell said during a media interaction on Thursday from New Zealand, where he is part of the Australian squad for the upcoming T20I series. "It'll be awesome to work with him, and he's always been really helpful to me along the journey. Whenever I've caught up with him, he's been brilliant. So to be able to work with him first hand will be pretty cool."

Having released several players including Chris Morris, Shivam Dube and Moeen Ali - the Royal Challengers are likely to be on the lookout for an allrounder. Maxwell is a batsman who can go in at the start of the innings and play the finisher's role, while also providing a solid fingerspinning option. Maxwell said that he "gets along" well with the Royal Challengers' captain Virat Kohli, too. "I get along with Virat pretty well. It'll be certainly nice to work under Virat and will certainly enjoy batting with him - that's for sure."

If the Royal Challengers do manage to hire Maxwell, they will become the fourth franchise the Australian would play for in the IPL. In the past, he has turned out for the Mumbai Indians, the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and twice with the Kings XI Punjab.

The key question for the Royal Challengers team management - comprising Kohli, Mike Hesson (team director) and Simon Katich (head coach) - would be whether they want to spend a large chunk of their purse on Maxwell in case rival teams enter into a bidding war, as was the case in past auctions, especially the smaller ones.

In 2013, Maxwell was the only IPL millionaire after being picked by Mumbai for US$ 1 million. The next most expenisve buy that year was Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis at US$ 725,000.

"The Australian team is generally together for a one-day series somewhere in Australia and we get to watch it together and congratulate and commiserate each other depending on what they went for or if they didn't go. So it's stressful day for a lot of people, and I've been lucky to be on the good side of it a fair few times"

Glenn Maxwell

In 2018, the Daredevils released Maxwell, just a season after paying INR 9 crore (US$ 1.4 million approx then) for him. Maxwell opted out of the IPL to focus on the home season in Australia and the ODI World Cup, but that did not hurt Maxwell's stocks much. In the 2020 auction, he ended up being the second-most expensive buy after the Kings XI paid INR 10.75 crore (US$1.514 million approx) for him.

Despite all the promise and potential, though, Maxwell struggled in the last IPL, which was played in the UAE, making just 108 runs and picking three wickets in 13 matches. It did not come as a surprise then, when the Kings XI released him. However, that did not stop Maxwell from listing his base price in the highest bracket of INR 2 crore (US$ 274,000 approx).

Maxwell said he has cherished every IPL experience - whether for Mumbai or for the Kings XI or at the Daredevils - and he was even elevated to the Kings XI captaincy in 2017, a season in which he smashed 310 runs at a strike rate of 173.

"I suppose to have the luck to go back there [for] most years has been awesome for my cricket," he said. "It's been great to have the experience of playing around the best players in the world and learn from different teams as well.

"We've had different coaches - Punter [Ricky Ponting at Capitals], Sanjay Bangar, [Virender] Sehwag [both at Kings XI] - and it's been awesome. People ask me if my cricket would be different if I didn't go for that [IPL], but I have no idea. But I don't think it would because I don't feel I've changed too much as a person."

Maxwell is once again anticipating an "exciting" auction, which he will be following on Thursday in New Zealand with the rest of the Australia team-mates. "The Australian team is generally together for a one-day series somewhere in Australia and we get to watch it together and congratulate and commiserate each other depending on what they went for or if they didn't go. So it's stressful day for a lot of people, and I've been lucky to be on the good side of it a fair few times."

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

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

5.00pm: Stumps

England 134 and 53 for 3 (Lawrence 19*, Root 2*) need 429 more runs to beat India 329 and 286 (Ashwin 106, Kohli 62, Moeen 4-98, Leach 4-100)

As India flexed their muscle on day three, moving inexorably towards a series-levelling triumph over England, the second Chennai Test began to take on a carnival feel. Already well ahead in the game and with time to indulge, they served up an exhibition for a grateful Chepauk crowd. R Ashwin, the local hero, proved himself worthy of such billing with a fifth Test hundred and England were hanging on by stumps as the ball fizzed and the close catchers circled.

After the subcontinental batting masterclass, followed closely by a trial against spin, now was the moment for England to contend with an Indian wall of sound. Despite scrapping hard to take five wickets during the morning session, they were steadily enveloped by the hoots, whistles and cheers from the stands, as first Virat Kohli and then Ashwin steadied India's second innings, before the home spinners returned to their task with relish.

Notionally, England needed 482 to win or two-and-a-bit days of rearguard resistance. Practically, they were merely searching for scraps of encouragement with which to accompany them on the road to Ahmedabad.

There could be no more appropriate thala in the home team's efforts to drive home their advantage than Ashwin. He came into this came having not passed 50 in a Test since 2017, but after taking an aggressive approach from the outset, he eventually reached a raucously received fifth Test hundred during the evening session - achieving the double of a century and a five-wicket haul in the same match for the third time. Just imagine the decibel level if Chepauk had been at more than 50% capacity.

4.45pm: Two in two overs

Poor shot from Rory Burns, caught at slip as he looks to work Ashwin into the leg side, and he has now made 78 runs in his last eight Test innings, dating back to the start of England's series against Pakistan in August 2020. He's looked badly out of nick in this series, and will be watching nervously over his shoulder with Zak Crawley likely to be fit for the third Test and Jonny Bairstow back in Chennai. And Jack Leach, in as the nightwatchman, then falls six balls later to the first one he faces: the ball turns from a length, and he can only nudge it to leg gully.

4.35pm: Lawrence lets loose

Dan Lawrence and his #wrists are in the building, and he has whipped Axar Patel for a couple of early boundaries through midwicket. Just as the TV cameras cut to England's national selector and head coach - Ed Smith and Chris Silverwood - deep in conversation, Lawrence skips down the track and plants Ashwin over long-on. This innings is something of a free hit for him, with Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow both ready to return in the third Test - even a half-century might not save his place - and it looks as though Lawrence is not going to die wondering.

4.25pm: So it begins...

First wicket down, Patel strikes, as England's struggle for opening partnerships continues. Between Sibley, Burns and Zak Crawley, they have managed one stand above 17 across eight innings in India and Sri Lanka this winter. Burns was missed before Sibley's dismissal, a thin nick that Rishabh Pant put down, but England are at least looking to put pressure back on the bowlers this innings: Burns has swept and left his crease regularly, and Dan "Wrists" Lawrence came down to whip his fifth and seventh balls over midwicket for four.

4.05pm: Blow your whistle

England's openers are out to face the music whistles of the Chepauk crowd at the start of their second innings. We're getting the full effect of India playing in front of their fans here, and Virat Kohli is quick to jump aboard the #whistlepodu express, blowing through his fingers and geeing up the crowd as R Ashwin comes on to bowl. Just a couple of overs from Ishant Sharma and then it looks like it will be an extended audition against spin for Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, with Ashwin and Axar Patel doing the judging.

3.50pm: Delaying the inevitable?

India are in one of the most beautiful positions in all of sport, sitting on a whopping great lead, with two days left in the game, and a battery of well-rested bowlers ready to fight over ten wickets in conditions they know inside out. England, meanwhile, will already be looking ahead - to Ahmedabad, to the pink ball, to two more chances to bite the overdog.

They will have reinforcements for the next game, too, with Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Sam Curran rejoining the party in India. Bairstow spoke to Channel 4 during the tea interval from his windowless room in hotel quarantine, and following a "seven-and-a-half hour bus journey" without stops, on what approach England might take in their second innings in Chennai, having been set a notional 482 to win or two-and-a-bit days to survive.

"Look, I think that it's naturally going to be tricky. I think chasing over 400 in the final innings is going to be really [tough], but the way in which Ashwin, and Kohli have gone about it in this third innings … granted it has been a third innings where they haven't really had a huge amount of pressure on them due to the state of the game, but the way in which they've gone about it is a really good way to think about it.

"You got to be positive. You got to be positive because on a pitch like this there's going to be a ball in there for you so I'm sure that the lads have their own game plans, will try and back their defence, back their techniques, but also look to be positive."

3.40pm: All over

Played on, Stone gets the final wicket. R Ashwin walks off with 99 on his back and 106 to his name, as his India team-mates come down to congratulate him by the boundary's edge. The Chepauk crowd were loving every minute of that 49-run stand between Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj, cheering dot balls and whistling their hearts out. They know their side are going to win this, the only question is how long will it take?

3.35pm: Ashwin reaps batting rewards

Sidharth Monga writes: R Ashwin spent the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour, which he was not part of, working hard on and frustrated with his batting. He was being left out of the side because of Ravindra Jadeja's added batting advantage. It was not an unreasonable selection call: there was room only for one spinner in away Tests, and of late Ashwin had made a fast descent from could-be-an-allrounder to is-he-a-tailender zone. Consequenty India's last four wickets were offering nothing.

Like the earnest competitor that Ashwin is, he felt he needed to prove he was worthy of a place in the side. He would ask batting coaches what he needed to do and tell them he would do it. As it is, he was playing only one format for India, and there too he was at the risk of being limited to Tests in India only. If not for the injury and concussion to Jadeja in the T20Is, who knows if Ashwin would have played the Adelaide Test and got Steven Smith out in the first over to set the tone for the series?

Vikram Rathour, the India batting coach, worked hard with him and after the work also asked him to not worry about the results for a while. In that Adelaide Test, there were signs of the return of Ashwin the batsman when he added 27 with Wriddhiman Saha in the first innings, but again he was part of that horrible collapse in the second innings. In Sydney, though, Ashwin the batsman had announced a full-fledged return with that heroic effort to draw the Test.

In this Test Ashwin has not only put a cherry on the top, he has also taken away any chance the critics of the pitch at his home ground might have. Surely they couldn't have doctored it to suit both his bowling and batting?

3.18pm: Ashwin does it!

Ashwin gets his hundred, Chepauk gets its moment! There's a huge smile on his face as the Chennai boy runs through for his fifth Test ton, and first on his home ground (first against anyone other than West Indies, too). After Siraj snuck a single, Ashwin decided not to hang around, nailing a slog-sweep into the stands, poking two through the covers, and then advancing to hack a thick edge over slip and away. Third time he's taken a five-for and scored a century, behind only Ian Botham. That's iced the cake for India... would it be asking too much for Ashwin to provide the cherry, as well, with five more wickets in the second innings? Now that really is a select club.

3.08pm: Closing in

England have taken the second new ball, Ashwin is on 87 and the crowd has just cheered Mohammed Siraj through four dot balls against Moeen, so keen are they for the home boy to get to three figures. Do England have a party pooper in their ranks? A fierce cut off Leach and the hard ball flies away to take him into the 90s, but can't get a single and now Siraj is on strike to Moeen again...

2.55pm: Can Ashwin ton up?

R Ashwin is rumbling on, looking to score a hundred and take a five-for in the same Test for the third time (he's done it previously in Mumbai and Antigua) - but he's going to need Mohammed Siraj to hang around and keep him company, after Ishant Shama skied a hack at Jack Leach to be ninth man out. An Ash-ton would go down well at Chepauk, you suspect...

2.50pm: The immutable law of Sod

2.15pm: Tea

India 329 and 2 for 8 (Ashwin 68*, Ishant 0*) lead England 134 by 416 runs
India extended England's period of detention in the field as they reached tea eight down and sitting atop an imposing lead. Virat Kohli and R Ashwin both scored half-centuries during a 96-run stand that kept the tourists toiling through much of the afternoon session.

Ashwin, on his home ground, was the aggressor, outscoring his captain as batting became easier against the softer ball. Kohli was first to fifty, tucking a single off Moeen Ali, and Ashwin got there a few overs later when cutting Olly Stone for four - this was Ashwin's first Test half-century since 2017, and the sixth time he has done so in the same match in which he claimed a five-for.

Kohli had looked secure as a bank vault, but fell to Moeen for the second time in the match, lbw despite a review. Moeen also removed Kuldeep Yadav to pick up the eighth wicket of his comeback Test, but Ashwin remained unbeaten as India pressed on with plenty of time in which to begin the tourists' second-innings examination.

1.50pm: Mo-mentum

If England can take anything from this game (and we await their efforts with the bat second time around), then a proper Test workout for Moeen Ali would be right up there. For the second time in the match he is one away from a five-wicket haul, having trapped Kuldeep Yadav lbw to leave India eight down. Moeen has got through more than 50 overs, as well as dismissing Virat Kohli twice, which ought to do plenty for his rhythm and confidence for the rest of the series. That Kuldeep wicket drew him level with Sydney Barnes for England, and puts him within sight of Jim Laker on 193.

1.34pm: Kohli Mo-ly Part Deux!

What was I saying? The pin-drop moment for Moeen Ali again, as he wins a decision against Virat Kohli! Trapped on the back foot, and up goes Nitin Menon's finger... Kohli wasn't convinced, with a bit more justification this time, but ball-tracking upheld the on-field call and India's captain heads off for a pristine 62. Interesting to note it was Menon who told Kohli off for running on the pitch earlier in the innings, and got a spiky response. One to keep in mind when you're hoping for "umpire's call" in future.

1.30pm: Becalmed

The tenor of this contest has changed completely in the hour or so after lunch. India's lead is approaching 400, the 65 overs-old ball isn't doing much for the spinners, and England have resorted to Stuart Broad bowling 130kph/80mph legcutters with Ben Foakes standing up to the stumps. It's impressive skill from both, though kind of sums up England's failings in this match at the same time.

1.20pm: Very very special

1.05pm: England expects

Time for a chinwag with our England correspondent George Dobell about what's to be salvaged from a losing cause.

Spoiler alert: England have already lost this Test. But what did you think of their efforts with the ball this morning?
I thought they reflected their efforts throughout: there were lots of good balls but too many bad. India scored more than a hundred in a session. While some of that, no doubt, was due to good batting, there were far more loose balls than India's spinners will be bowling later in the day. To be fair, Moeen, in particular, has come into this game without the requisite preparation. Sometimes it's shown. The frustrating thing is that the good balls, from Moeen and Leach, have been very, very good. But life's not just about what we do, is it? It's about what we don't do. And you can't bowl this many full-tosses and keep a team under pressure.

Moeen's economy is looking a bit better, and he'll improve for the workout, you'd think. But the standout performer was the man behind the stumps
I think we sometimes forget what really good wicketkeeping looks like. We've been accustomed to lower standards, with teams favouring the ability of keepers to score runs. So Ben Foakes has provided a reminder of the difference a top-class keeper can make. He has been magnificent. And without him, three of those dismissals taken in the first session (the run-out and the two stumpings) probably wouldn't have happened. Imagine that impact extended over a whole series. And it wasn't just against the spinners: he stood up to Stuart Broad, too. And he was England's top-scorer in the first innings. It's absurd he isn't in the side as a first choice.

Speaking of his batting... What sort of approach should England take when their turn comes? They have a snowball's chance of chasing/blocking for two days, but there's the rest of the series to think about
I'm not sure about the idea that you have to take 'an approach.' You bat. And part of batting, is playing the ball on its merits and earning the right to face the poor ball. The one thing we have seen is that batting gets easier. If they can get through the first 25 overs, the next 55 will be more comfortable. So Sibley and co just need to bat. There's no hurry. Yes, you might want to hit the bowler off their length, but you have to be aware that, with the ball bouncing more than normal, the top-edge is a major risk. And you have to be aware that singles and strike-rotation can be as effective as boundaries. Virat is providing a master-class in all this at present. Let's be clear: England have hit the iceberg in this game. They are going down. But it is an opportunity to learn against this attack going into the second half of the series. If the want an example, consider the Alastair Cook century in Ahmedabad in 2012. Sure, England lost. But it sowed the seeds for the victory in Mumbai.

12.57pm: Allrounder Ash

And that's a half-century for R Ashwin, too, from just 64 balls! He gets there with a crabby cut for four as Olly Stone tries to rough him up with short stuff. Sixth time he has scored fifty and taken a five-for in a Test, behind only Ian Botham and Shakib Al Hasan. Nice touch at the end of the over as he raises a hand to the crowd and gets the love right back... The going has been easier since lunch, Inda's seventh-wicket stand once again emphasising that batsmen can succeed on this surface.

Shiva Jayaraman writes: "If anyone is wondering why Virat Kohli and R Ashwin have looked more comfortable against spinners than the other batsmen earlier in the day: this pitch has offered more to spinners when the balls has been relatively new. In the first 30 overs with the new ball, spinners have taken 12 wickets in the match at an average of 17.58 runs per dismissal. After the 30th over, they have managed just eight wickets at double that average, of 35.62 (till the 56th over of India's second innings)."

And when you lose five wickets before the 30th over, as England did in their first innings, it can make it pretty hard to compete.

12.36pm: Kohli fifty

Virat Kohli has raised his bat for the second time in the series, this time with a crowd in to acknowledge his efforts. His focus has been unbreakable as India push England deeper into the dirt, mixing ironclad defence with the occasional flourish - a rattling on drive against Leach before lunch stood out, and he has also unfurled the cover drive off Moeen's bowling again, confident that it won't bring his downfall after shifting his guard across to face the offspinner. The middle session has tended to be quieter in this Test so far, and Kohli won't be giving it away when there are runs (and psychological points) to be scored.

12.25pm: Jolly good Foakes!

Isn't it nice to have spectators at the game?

11.35am: Lunch

India 329 and 156 for 6 (Kohli 38*, Ashwin 34*) lead England 134 by 351 runs
Five wickets fell during the morning session on day three at Chepauk as India built themselves a comfortable cushion ahead of an expected trial by spin for the tourists. England scrapped valiantly, with two wickets apiece for Jack Leach and Moeen Ali and some fine work behind the stumps by Ben Foakes, but they were left staring at an nigh-insurmountable deficit as Virat Kohli guided his side to lunch six down.

England claimed a wicket in the first over the day, Cheteshwar Pujara slightly unfortunate to be run out after trying to regain his ground only for his bat to get stuck in the pitch. Foakes then pulled off a brace of stumpings to remove Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, before Moeen had Ajinkya Rahane caught at short leg and Axar Patel lbw. But R Ashwin played positively, with liberal use of the sweep, to score 34 from 38 and add an unbroken half-century stand with his captain that swelled India's lead above 350.

11.20am: Chennai of the tiger

Virat Kohli has played with steely intent in India's second innings - no chance of him getting bowled playing an expansive drive this time around. He took 20 balls to get off the mark (and off a pair) but has looked virtually impregnable since, which is quite something on this surface. With R Ashwin playing his shots at the other end, India have pushed their lead on towards 350. Stuart Broad has just surfaced with the ball for the first time since day one, bowling with Foakes standing up to the stumps, only to see Ben Stokes put down a sharp, reaction chance at slip off Ashwin.

11am: This one's a keeper

Since we've been treated to a display of slick glovework behind the stumps from an English wicketkeeper, here's one of the all-time great stumpers, Sarah Taylor, speaking to ESPNcricinfo a couple of years ago.

10.45am: Moeen strikes

Axar Patel is next to go, with India's lead a tick above 300, and Moeen Ali has now picked up six wickets on his return to Test cricket after 18 months out of the side. He spoke before play today about how he thought he had bowled "better as the days wore on" and his enjoyment at bowling Virat Kohli for a duck in the first innings: "Pretty happy with that wicket." He also said that England would need to keep fighting, despite facing defeat in this game, with two Tests still to play.

"It's been tough. You never want to make excuses. But I haven't played any games. Training has been difficult as I ripped my finger a few weeks ago, so I couldn't really bowl too much in the build up to the game. When you play games you get better. Bowling in the nets is completely different to bowling in games and being under pressure. I felt like it's got better as the game has gone on.

"We just need to fight. It's going to be tough for us to win or even draw the game. It doesn't mean we're going to give up. We need to take the game as long as we can. Put in a performance we can take into the next game. We need to show some fight with the ball and the bat. The toss is massive here. The different between the sides was Rohit's innings. It was fantastic and he took the game away from us."

10.20am: Moving on, moving on

England have their fourth wicket of the morning, Ajinkya Rahane caught at short leg by the diving Ollie Pope. That's the seventh time Moeen has dismissed Rahane in Tests, second only to Nathan Lyon. India, though, are sitting on a 280-plus lead and might already be thinking about how quickly they can finish England off...

10.15am: Foakes hero

Birthday boy Ben Foakes is doing his best to blow out India's candles on the third morning in Chennai. He now has two stumpings to go with a run-out, and the last of the three was the best of the lot - unsighted after Rishabh Pant charged down at Leach, only for the ball to go explode off the surface and beat his wild swing, Foakes collected down the leg side and applied the rubber stamp with the efficiency of a post office clerk. He missed one yesterday, but now has three stumpings in the match - the first time an England wicketkeeper has done so in men's Tests since Alan Knott in 1968. The man Foakes replaced in the side for this match, Jos Buttler, has one stumping in 30 Tests as keeper (completed last month in Galle).

9.45am: And heeeerrrre's Rishabh

This time the third umpire sides with Foakes, as Rohit Sharma is stumped after dragging his back foot just over the line (pulling down Rohit's home Test average to a mere 80.52). Excellent hands from Foakes, who turns 28 today and has earned himself an extra slice of cake - the delivery from Jack Leach came through at almost shoulder height, but the keeper took it and smoothly whipped off the bails in one movement. India's response to two early wickets has been to send in Rishabh Pant above Ajinkya Rahane, to take the attack back to England.

9.35am: Heeeerrrre's Virat (on a pair)

It's been hard enough for most batsmen on this pitch, but Cheteshwar Pujara has lost his wicket in most unfortunate fashion to start the day, run out in the first over by short leg after dropping his bat trying to regain his ground. Although, as Sunny Gavaskar has just said on commentary (with tongue firmly in cheek), "you have to blame the pitch" after Pujara's bat jammed into the crease line but not over it, with Ben Foakes collecting Ollie Pope's throw to break the stumps before the lunging batsman could get his foot back. Time for India's captain to have another crack.

9.30am: #PoliteEnquries

What better way to start the day than a fresh, hot injection of George and Raunak into your eyeballs?

9.20am: Signed, sealed... delivered?

Hello again, folks. Day three is often moving day of a Test - but you sense this one has already unloaded the van and is getting comfy in its new surroundings. Pretty much everything India have touched has turned to gold this time around in Chennai, and they will be backing themselves to wrap up a series-levelling win at some point later today or tomorrow. England, barring Headingley-plus-plus miracles, know this game is probably beyond them... but there's still a series to fight for, battles to be won and lost.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin’s quest for a third consecutive Daytona 500 victory may have still been alive on the final lap, but its chance of success was ultimately undone during his final pit stop.

Hamlin led six times for a race-high 98 laps during the 63rd running of The Great American Race, which started Sunday afternoon and ended early Monday morning due to a near six-hour rain delay at lap 15.

For much of the night, it appeared he had the dominant race car. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry swept both stages at laps 65 and 130 and could seemingly make moves in the draft at will to pass other cars.

However, Hamlin’s race fell apart when the four remaining Toyota drivers – himself, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace – pitted for their last round of service with 27 laps remaining.

The quartet came onto pit road close together, but exited with larger gaps in between each car that prevented them from being able to gather back together in the draft as other cars steamed by at speed.

That meant the Toyotas were separated in the lead draft for the final 25-lap run to the finish, leaving each individual Camry driver to fend for themselves during the closing stages.

After cycling out 12th, Hamlin picked up three spots inside of 10 to go to get to ninth, then threaded his way through the fiery crash that punctuated the last lap for a top-five finish.

He was scored fifth at the checkered flag, but in Hamlin’s estimation, it was all a case of what could have been.

“I didn’t see (what happened at the end), I was too far back,” Hamlin noted. “We didn’t execute too well on pit road. It was just like the Duel. We came out in front of everybody, and didn’t have any help to get up to speed. They all blew by us because they were single file, so it just took away the power that I got, and that’s getting through traffic.

“The fact we got back to fifth there from 12th in the last couple of laps was pretty good. Dominant car.”

Normally, when it comes to success in the NASCAR Cup Series, fast pit stops are a vital competitive advantage in a sport where tenths – and sometimes thousandths – of a second are sometimes the difference between winning and losing.

In Hamlin’s case, on this particular night, it was a Catch 22. A strong pit stop actually lost him the race.

“We were just too far out front. We got on and off pit road too well,” said Hamlin. “I was just too far ahead of the pack. I figured the Chevys would make a move from two or three to go, because they were not going to win on the last lap from fifth or sixth. I was able to gain some positions. I think I was 12th and everybody was running single file, so it handcuffed me and I couldn’t really do anything. I hoped once I got to eighth, that as long as they made a move with two to go, I was in the energy and in the area where I could make something happen.

“We had such a dominant car; it was just one of those things that we actually executed too well.”

Hamlin will have another shot to take home a trophy from Daytona Int’l Speedway on Feb. 21, when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the World Center of Racing to tackle the 3.61-mile road course layout.