Pat Cummins is backing his Australia team to rise to the challenge of playing India on a potentially troublesome Nagpur pitch in the first Test.

The surface has been the subject of much debate ahead of this week's opener at VCA Stadium.

Images of the pitch appear to show bare patches that could cause left-handed batsmen some concern against India's spin bowling.

For Australia, that represents an issue, with several of their key batters – including openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey – left-handed.

Captain Cummins, preparing to name his team ahead of Thursday's first day, acknowledged the turning pitch would be "a factor".

Right-hander Peter Handscomb would appear to be one man likely to benefit, while spin bowler Todd Murphy is set to debut.

But Cummins is also looking forward to seeing how Australia "problem-solve", with Warner, Khawaja, Head and Carey all in good form in a series win against South Africa last time out.

"I think it looks a little bit dry for the left-handers," he said.

"And knowing how much traffic will probably go through there from the right-arm bowlers [from over the wicket], there potentially might be a fair bit of rough out there. That's something you've just got to embrace.

"It's going to be fun. It's going to be challenging at times, but our batters relish the chance to problem-solve on their feet and I think quite a few of them will get that chance this week."

India have a right-hand dominant batting line-up, but captain Rohit Sharma was understandably keen not to focus on the state of the wicket.

"I just feel that you've got to focus on the cricket that's going to be played for the next five days and not worry too much about the pitch," he said.

"The last series that we played here, a lot was spoken about the pitches and all that.

"I think all 22 cricketers who are going to play are all quality cricketers, so not to worry too much about what the pitch is going to be like, how much is it turning, how much is it seaming and all those kind of things.

"You've got to just come out and play good cricket and win the game, as simple as that."

Happy hunting ground

This will be India's seventh men's Test at VCA Stadium, and they have won four of the previous six, losing just once.

It will be the second meeting between India and Australia at this venue, with the tourists beaten by 172 runs back in November 2008.

Australia's bogey team

Based on recent results, India may not need help from the pitch to beat Cummins' side. Australia have lost only one of their past 10 Tests, but that was against India in January 2021.

India have won six of their past eight Test series against Australia, including the past three in a row. They have lost only one of the last 15 Tests between the teams.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis insists the Scudetto frontrunners do not have to sell rumoured Manchester United and Chelsea target Victor Osimhen.

Nigeria international Osimhen is reportedly a target for the Premier League pair, as well as other big names across Europe, after starring for Serie A leaders Napoli this season.

The 24-year-old has 17 goals this campaign – the joint-sixth most of any player across Europe's top five leagues – and has assisted a further three goals in his 21 appearances.

While interest in Osimhen will only intensify between now and the transfer window reopening in advance of next season, De Laurentiis has made it clear Napoli are not looking to cash in.

"Victor is not for sale," he told German outlet Bild. "Our players are in high demand, but we are not forced to sell anybody. We don't have any debts."

Osimhen scored another brace in Sunday's 3-0 win over Spezia as Napoli opened up a 13-point lead over closest challengers Inter at the top of Serie A.

He now has 53 goals in 95 league games across his past four seasons for Lille and Napoli – only Erling Haaland (87 in 87) has needed fewer games to reach the 50-goal mark.

Napoli will hope their in-form striker can make the difference when they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the first leg taking place in two weeks' time.

Eintracht are competing in the knockout stage of the competition for the first time, but De Laurentiis says Napoli will not be taking the Bundesliga title challengers lightly.

"In the beginning, the feeling was of a non-difficult draw, but it's not exactly like this," he said of Eintracht, who beat Barcelona in the Europa League quarter-finals last season.

"It's not a coincidence they are in the race for the Bundesliga. We should not think we are a better team. Barca did it last season and we should not make the same mistake."

Napoli have won their past two away games against German sides in European competition, beating Wolfsburg 4-1 in April 2015 and RB Leipzig 2-0 in February 2018.

Ons Jabeur is taking some time out to undergo "minor surgery", she revealed on Wednesday.

Jabeur reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open last season but was unable to build on that strong finish to 2022 at the start of this year.

The Tunisian exited the Australian Open in the second round, having complained of a knee injury.

Jabeur said after her defeat to Marketa Vondrousova she would need "time to recover and get healthier", and she has not been seen on the WTA Tour since.

The Qatar Open was due to see Jabeur's return next week, but an Instagram post has now confirmed she will miss both that tournament and the subsequent Dubai Tennis Championships.

"In order to take care of my health situation, my medical team have decided that I need to get a minor surgery in order to be back on the courts and perform well," she wrote.

"I will have to retire from Doha and Dubai, and this is breaking my heart.

"I would like to say sorry to all the fans out there in the Middle East that waited for this reunion.

"I promise I will come back to you stronger and healthy."

Bayern Munich have appointed Michael Rechner as their new goalkeeping coach following the controversial dismissal of Toni Tapalovic.

The Bundesliga champions sacked Tapalovic, who was said to have endured a difficult relationship with head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

But Tapalovic was close to club captain Manuel Neuer, with whom he had worked for more than a decade.

Neuer, who is out injured for the rest of the season, was angered by his departure and expressed that frustration in an interview with The Athletic, which prompted criticism from several senior officials at Bayern.

The club have now identified Rechner as the man who will come in to work initially with Yann Sommer, who was signed following Neuer's injury.

Rechner had been Hoffenheim's first-team goalkeeping coach since 2015, working with Oliver Baumann.

LeBron James brought the NBA to a standstill on Tuesday. Even the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was paused.

With 38 points at Crypto.com Arena, James moved to 38,390 in his regular season career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record of 38,387.

The four-time champion has been the league's pre-eminent star across stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Lakers.

Now, across basketball history, he stands alone.

It is a remarkable achievement and only becomes more impressive when delving into the numbers behind James' new record.

Beating the Thunder

The Thunder may have put a slight dampener on James' big night by winning Tuesday's game, but the 38-year-old actually has more career points than Oklahoma City's entire active roster combined (21,900).

Indeed, the Thunder are merely one of five rosters James can better, along with the Indiana Pacers (36,515), the Orlando Magic (33,164), the San Antonio Spurs (32,364) and the Houston Rockets (28,642).

Had James not got over the line on Tuesday, he would have done instead against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday – and that would have been fitting, too.

James has scored more points against the Bucks (1,751) than against any other team. In fact, the Thunder (994) are the team he has scored the third-fewest against – more only than against the Lakers (829) and the Cavaliers (580), two teams he represented.

The Lakers forward scored at least 1,000 points against each of the other 27 teams, while he has scored 1,000 in each of his 20 NBA seasons. That is another record he has taken from Abdul-Jabbar (19).

James would have no doubt enjoyed being able to achieve this legendary feat in front of a home crowd, but he has actually scored more points on the road (19,251 in 694 games) than at home (19,139 in 716).

Unsurprisingly, however, Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the arena to have seen the most James points (11,670). The Lakers' Crypto.com Arena (4,649) nudged ahead of the Heat's Miami-Dade Arena (4,613) into second place on Tuesday.

Wade's helping hand

In that home crowd in LA, sitting in front of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, was Dwyane Wade, a two-time title-winning team-mate of James' on the Heat.

Wade also joined James on the Cavaliers for a season and, although now retired, has assisted more points for the new all-time scoring leader than any other player (776).

Eric Snow (630) is second on that list, with Mario Chalmers (591) third and Mo Williams (501) fourth, followed by Kevin Love (486) and Kyrie Irving (469).

Russell Westbrook has only been playing with James in LA since 2021, but he is ninth on 375. Anthony Davis (269) is 11th and Chris Bosh (267) 12th.

Ricky Davis assisted James' first NBA points and 42 altogether. Davis, who retired in 2010, was the first of 148 different players to assist James.

But the bulk of James' points have been unassisted, of course. His 26,855 unassisted points alone would rank him 13th in the all-time list, ahead of Kevin Durant (26,684), who is second to the Lakers man among active players.

James has scored 10,882 points from layups, 8,074 from two-point jump shots and 8,047 from free throws. Of the rest, 6,711 have come from three-pointers, 4,190 from dunks, 310 from hook shots and 176 from tip-ins.

Another Lakers record

The record was reached with a fadeaway jumper, and several members of Lakers royalty were in the house to see it – including Abdul-Jabbar.

James followed Abdul-Jabbar as the seventh different player to lead the NBA in all-time scoring since the end of the league's first season in 1946-47.

Four of those seven have now represented the Lakers, with James and Abdul-Jabbar joined by George Mikan (1952-53 to 1957-58) and Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66 to 1983-84). Chamberlain took ownership of the record while a Philadelphia 76er, before playing for the Lakers.

Chamberlain succeeded Bob Pettit, one of the remaining three who did not turn out for the Lakers. Joe Fulks, the leading scorer in the NBA's first season, and Dolph Schayes are the others.

Luka Doncic, just 23 and with 8,531 points through 311 career games, is perhaps the most credible challenger to James' crown. James had 8,319 points through 311 games, albeit he was only 22.

Matching James' longevity is a huge ask; either way, he will be number one for a long, long time.

Time spent at the top is a record Abdul-Jabbar can at least retain for now, having ranked first in scoring for a mammoth 14,187 days. The NBA was only 13,671 days old when he took the record, meaning he led the league for more than half of its existence.

Still more to achieve

That is not the only Abdul-Jabbar mark that remains, with the 75-year-old out in front on 57,446 minutes played. James (53,743) is third, while he is tied for ninth in games played (1,410) – a statistic led by Robert Parish (1,611).

Abdul-Jabbar is the man to beat for MVP awards, too, with six, and James' four appear unlikely to be added to now, given his age and the Lakers' woes.

James should pass Abdul-Jabbar for All-Star selections, though, as the pair are tied on 19, while the modern great already has a leading 13 All-NBA First Team selections.

In the playoffs, James already topped the charts for points (7,631) and games played (266), although the 'GOAT' debate will rage on as Michael Jordan has the edge in Finals MVPs (six to James' four).

Among players with 500 or more games, Jordan (30.1) is also the leading man for points per game in the regular season, even if James (27.2 in fifth) is averaging 30.2 this year, the third-highest mark of his career.

At that rate, even if James cannot reel in Jordan, he should be able to establish a considerable buffer to any and all pretenders to his new crown.

Bundesliga strugglers Hoffenheim have appointed Pellegrino Matarazzo as their new head coach.

Hoffenheim have taken two points from their past nine games and are just three points above Stuttgart in the relegation play-off place.

After parting company with Andre Breitenreiter on Monday, Hoffenheim have turned to American-born Matarazzo, who was sacked by Stuttgart four months ago.

Matarazzo previously spent two and a half years at Rhein-Neckar-Arena working as under-17 coach and then assistant coach of the first team.

"As I've been living in the region since 2017, I've witnessed TSG's development first-hand even after my exit," Matarazzo said after his appointment was confirmed on Wednesday.

"The situation is undoubtedly demanding. I'm convinced of the team's quality and will approach the task full of verve and with great confidence. 

"TSG is synonymous with offensive, courageous and fresh football. I want to quickly get the team back to playing the kind of football that has set them apart for many years."

Matarazzo will oversee his first training session on Wednesday and will be in the dugout for the first time as head coach for Saturday's home match against Bayer Leverkusen.

Vincent Kompany is "very sceptical" over those "pointing fingers" at Manchester City after the Premier League charged the club with breaking its financial rules.

City were this week charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018 with a range of punitive actions possible if found guilty, including expulsion from the division.

Reigning English champions City stated they were "surprised" by the charges and Kompany, who won four Premier League titles during an 11-year stay with the Citizens during the period under scrutiny, questioned the motive of those criticising the club.

Kompany, now manager of Championship side Burnley, told reporters after the Clarets' 2-1 FA Cup win over Ipswich Town: "I look at [criticism of City] and sometimes roll my eyes a little bit.

"No doubt there's a lot of righteousness in the world to come and tell you what you've done wrong, and then if everybody looks at themselves, I think the football industry in general is not one that can afford to point the finger too many times.

"I think all of you will have a little bit of a smile on your face to know what the football industry is about. I'm very sceptical when people start pointing fingers.

"Do the best for yourself and let's try and improve all the time, but I'm a little bit sceptical when the fingers get pointed easily."

Kompany's Burnley hold a 17-point advantage on third place Middlesbrough as they bid to earn automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The former centre-back says the promotion race is taking his mind off potential goings-on at City, explaining: "I haven't had the time to even dive into what is undoubtedly an interesting topic. I've more interesting things to worry about at the moment.

"The fixtures actually help me because I've had no time to look into it or feel emotionally connected to what's happening."

Vincent Kompany is "very sceptical" over those "pointing fingers" at Manchester City after the Premier League charged the club with breaking its financial rules.

City were this week charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018 with a range of punitive actions possible if found guilty, including expulsion from the division.

Reigning English champions City stated they were "surprised" by the charges and Kompany, who won four Premier League titles during an 11-year stay with the Citizens during the period under scrutiny, questioned the motive of those criticising the club.

Kompany, now manager of Championship side Burnley, told reporters after the Clarets' 2-1 FA Cup win over Ipswich Town: "I look at [criticism of City] and sometimes roll my eyes a little bit.

"No doubt there's a lot of righteousness in the world to come and tell you what you've done wrong, and then if everybody looks at themselves, I think the football industry in general is not one that can afford to point the finger too many times.

"I think all of you will have a little bit of a smile on your face to know what the football industry is about. I'm very sceptical when people start pointing fingers.

"Do the best for yourself and let's try and improve all the time, but I'm a little bit sceptical when the fingers get pointed easily."

Kompany's Burnley hold a 17-point advantage on third place Middlesbrough as they bid to earn automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The former centre-back says the promotion race is taking his mind off potential goings-on at City, explaining: "I haven't had the time to even dive into what is undoubtedly an interesting topic. I've more interesting things to worry about at the moment.

"The fixtures actually help me because I've had no time to look into it or feel emotionally connected to what's happening."

Erik ten Hag is not concerned by Wout Weghorst's lack of goals since joining Manchester United on loan as he believes the striker is helping to get more out of other players.

Weghorst has started all six of United's matches since arriving from Burnley last month but has scored only once, in the 3-0 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg win at Nottingham Forest.

The 30-year-old has also yet to assist a goal in his 439 minutes on the field and was substituted off shortly before the hour mark in Saturday's 2-1 league win over Crystal Palace.

However, United have scored 13 goals across the six games Weghorst has played in, winning four of those, and he has received the backing of manager Ten Hag.

"He is the one who makes players around him play better," Ten Hag said ahead of Thursday's Premier League meeting with Leeds United.

"As a team we have to work better to anticipate his movements because his movements are good, and quite a lot of times he was close [to scoring]. 

"He had many good actions and already a lot of good contributions to our results. He will score, but in the meantime he will do the other stuff, and do it good."

Weghorst has an expected goals (xG) value of 1.66 since making his debut against Crystal Palace on January 18, which is the fourth most of any United player across that time.

By comparison, United team-mate Marcus Rashford has scored three goals from an xG of 1.98 in that period.

"It is not just about scoring as an individual but scoring from the team," Ten Hag added. "The team has to win. He is doing a very good job at this moment in several aspects."

Weghorst is set to start against Leeds – the first of two league meetings between the sides in the space of four days – as Anthony Martial is once again ruled out with a hip injury.

Martial has not played a full 90 minutes for United in the Premier League since January 2021 against Sheffield United and has started only six games in the competition this term.

Ten Hag has been impressed by what he has seen from Martial, though, and insists the France international is working hard to return to full fitness.

"He is not always available, but also I see the other side when he is available," Ten Hag said. 

"He was never 100 per cent this season but he had a big impact every time he is available, even when he is at 80, 85, 90 per cent.

"I think Anthony Martial is the player who has spent the most hours at Carrington this season, to return to recover, to get back, it is really so a pity for him that he is disappointed.

"He's not always available and we want him to be always available as that will improve our game and because routines can't become routines when you're not always available."

United are unbeaten in their past 17 home league games against Leeds, stretching back to a 1-0 loss in February 1981.

Devin Booker's return after a month and a half layoff inspired the Phoenix Suns to a 116-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets despite Cam Thomas putting up over 40 points for a third straight game.

Tuesday's game was Booker's first since suffering a groin injury in a defeat to the Denver Nuggets in late December, with the Suns enduring a mixed time in his 21-game absence, including a run of six consecutive losses.

But Booker was back into the swings of things against the Nets, scoring 19 points on six-of-15 shooting while adding six assists in 26 minutes to help the Suns to another win.

Booker was delighted to be back, telling reporters after the game: "That's all I want right there, man.

"Just competition, being back out there with the band, feeling that energy, feeling that presence. The team has it rolling right now, so just inserting myself in a way that wasn't disruptive and try to keep the flow that they have."

Suns coach Monty Williams feels Booker's desperation to win is the key to the positive effect he has on his team-mates, saying: "Devin's attitude is always he just wants to eat. Kill and eat. That's how he operates. And he's a winner. And he wants to do everything he can to win the game.

"I thought the guys got a great deal of energy from him tonight just being on the floor. Everybody's excited that he's back."

Booker's winning return to the court was nearly derailed by another spectacular effort from Thomas, who at 21-years-old became the youngest player to ever score 40 points in three consecutive games.

The guard racked up a career-high 44 points against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and then another career-best 47 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, before his 43-point effort in the defeat to Booker's Suns.

While he was frustrated two of those games ended in defeats, Thomas is enjoying the historic form he finds himself in, stating: "It's real surreal. I'm just glad to have my name in the history books, being this young.

"Obviously, I'd rather have the win because it sounds better when you have these 40-point games with the two [games] that we lost.

"But it's just good to have my name in history, I'm just going to embrace it. Just be proud of all the hard work you put in."

LeBron James' off-court legacy is even more impressive than becoming the NBA's all-time leading regular season points scorer, suggests Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

James broke Abdul-Jabbar's record on Tuesday in the Los Angeles Lakers' 133-130 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a fadeaway jump shot late in the third quarter seeing him pass the 38,387 points Abdul-Jabbar racked up with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers before retiring in 1989.

James is also the fourth-highest assist maker in league history and has also won four NBA Championships, yet Abdul-Jabbar believes it is what the 38-year-old has done off the court that makes him so special.

The LeBron James Family Foundation set up a school in his hometown of Akron in Ohio, while also providing rent-free housing for up to 16 families for those in need.

James has also been active in his support of non-profit organisations and vocal on global issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement.

Abdul-Jabbar lauded James for his off-field activities, telling the TNT post-game crew: "What LeBron has done off the court is more important than what he has done on the court.

"He has sent kids to school. He has provided leadership and an example of how to live.

"I was very impressed with his family. His mum, I met her a couple of years ago when they played a couple playoff games in Cleveland. 

"LeBron came out and introduced me to his mum, so he really has the right values. Family, hard work, and all those things lead to success."

On the court, Abdul-Jabbar pointed to James' longevity and his leadership as the keys to his success, adding: "LeBron's career is one of someone who planned to dominate this game. 

"He got out of high school, he had the size and the talent to step right into the NBA, and he immediately started to have his effect.

"It's been going for almost 20 years now, so you've got to give him credit for the way he planned to last, and to dominate.

"He led teams to three world championships, and they didn't get there because of someone else and LeBron tagged along, LeBron led them. He has that indefinable essence that they call leadership.

"When he gets out there on the court and tries to get things done, guys want to get behind him and see that it happens, because they have that much respect for him and his talent."