Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique has warned his side’s commanding advantage at the top of Ligue 1 could begin to work against them in the second half of the season.

PSG began the weekend 13 points clear of second-placed Brest before the latter’s trip to Strasbourg on Saturday evening, well on course to secure a third consecutive league title.

But Enrique is wary of the size of the lead his side hold going into their match at home to Rennes on Sunday, admitting a little more pressure from their domestic opponents might keep them sharper as they look to go deep in this season’s Champions League.

“We’re very happy with the distance between us and second place,” Enrique said. “It’s something we have to fight against for a lot of weeks. It’s perhaps a handicap that we need to control. Our aim is to win matches and win all the competitions we take part in.

“Obviously, if we had an opponent closer to us in the league table, we might be a little more prepared and the players would prepare themselves more spontaneously. In any case, you have to be a little more motivated. We can do it very well.

“We’re the most consistent team in the league. But now we’ve got the last third of the season coming up and we need to perform well in all competitions. There are a lot of good tests coming up. It’s going to be very difficult on Sunday and this match will help us prepare for the matches that follow.”

PSG have won their last five matches in all competitions and are on an 18-match unbeaten run that dates back to the 2-1 defeat to AC Milan in November.

“It’s always positive to have a good run of results,” Enrique added. “But the coach always has to make sure it doesn’t get complicated. It’s good to have good momentum, but you mustn’t let up.

“That’s what I fight for every week, in training and when preparing for matches. Good results also mean that you have to stay focused, both in matches and in training.”

Rennes, seventh in Ligue 1, are enjoying some superb form themselves. Julien Stephan’s side have won 10 of their last 11 games, with the exception being a Europa League defeat, also against Milan.

Rennes lost the first leg of their tie against the Italians 3-0, meaning that Thursday’s 3-2 victory was not enough to keep them in the competition.

Speaking after that match, Stephan said: “Disappointment or satisfaction? Pride wins out…It’s a great source of pride to have won against Milan. Even if it’s difficult to compare eras, it’s probably the most prestigious victory in the European history of Rennes, so we have to appreciate that.”

Forward Plan came from the clouds to deny Al Dancer victory in the Coral Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton.

Dylan Johnston was positive from the off aboard the grey Al Dancer, making full use of his 5lb allowance aboard the Sam Thomas-trained runner in the three-mile feature.

Despite looking a sitting duck at the top of the straight as half a dozen jockeys appeared to be travelling better than Al Dancer, one by one they began to come under pressure.

Flegmatik, Killer Kane, Bowtogreatness and Blackjack Magic were giving chase but approaching the last, Al Dancer appeared to have them all cooked.

However, despite his chance seemingly having disappeared on jumping the second last, Forward Plan got a second wind and began to make ground and when he met the last running, he had momentum firmly on his side.

Anthony Honeyball’s charge, beaten just a short head in the Great Yorkshire Chase last time out, fairly flew up the run in and came home a comfortable length-and-a-quarter winner for Ben Godfrey.

“This race was always on the agenda for this lad and we were always going to go to Doncaster because we thought it would suit him and it did,” said Honeyball.

“We got beat a nose at Doncaster and you just think ‘are we going to get that chance again?’. But he is a horse who is just progressing nicely and our initial thought today was the going had gone too soft, but he’s proved he does go on it and today was three miles, rather than three-mile-two.

“Doncaster is definitely home games for him and we will be back here with him, that’s for sure. We were always working back from this and you can’t do anything about the weather.

“We were all geared up to run and he’s not going to run again until Aintree, so we thought if the ground is too soft today and that finds us out, at least we’ve got a nice race to go to in the spring where the ground might be better. Now it doesn’t matter what the ground is like at Aintree.

“He’s not very big, but he travels and he’s a handy horse who you can put where you want. I suppose he’s handy for races like this because he can travel away and he has a few gears. You have obviously got to be good enough to have a few gears and he had enough in reserve (stamina wise) to use them.

“Aintree will be next, the race we won with Sam Brown a few years ago.”

Honeyball also reserved plenty of praise for Godfrey, who was celebrating the biggest success of his fledgling riding career.

He continued: “It’s one of the biggest wins of any jockey’s career, it’s a £150,000 race and in a handicap what is there worth more than that?

“Ben has been based with us since he claimed 7lb. He just knows the horses and is learning to be cool and calm in a race.

“He’s gaining some great experience in races like this and on this horse in particular and it’s really standing him in good stead. He’s finding himself in the right places quite often which is not an easy thing.”

Ireland kept their quest for successive Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam titles on track by brushing aside spirited Wales with a dominant 31-7 victory in Dublin.

Andy Farrell’s men backed up crushing wins over France and Italy with a third consecutive bonus-point triumph to keep themselves in pole position for further championship glory.

First-half tries from Dan Sheehan and James Lowe paved the way for the reigning champions to equal England’s tournament record of 11 wins in a row.

Wales avoided embarrassment at the Aviva Stadium and briefly threatened an improbable fightback thanks to a second-half spell which brought a penalty try and a yellow card for Tadhg Beirne.

But a first Test try for stand-in Ireland full-back Ciaran Frawley broke their resolve before Beirne atoned for his earlier error by securing the bonus point at the death on an afternoon when flawless fly-half Jack Crowley kicked 11 points.

Ireland’s ominous march towards another clean sweep continues next month against England and Scotland, while winless Wales host France in round four ahead of a possible wooden spoon shoot-out with Italy.

A largely inexperienced Wales team crossed the Irish Sea as overwhelming underdogs on the back of narrow defeats to the Scots and Steve Borthwick’s side.

Visiting head coach Warren Gatland insisted he travelled with belief rather than hope and urged his players to make “everything uncomfortable” for the fancied hosts.

Wales’ bid to disrupt began with some colossal defending as the home team’s early dominance was initially rewarded only by a long-range Crowley penalty.

Yet Ireland’s well-oiled machine persisted with wave after wave of attack to break down the staunch resistance and take control of the scoreboard.

Hooker Sheehan powered over at the end of a line-out maul in the 21st minute to claim his fourth try of the tournament before Calvin Nash later teed up Lowe to touch down in the left corner.

Wales finally enjoyed some forays into Ireland’s 22 just before the break.

But Sam Costelow’s decision to kick a penalty to the corner failed to pay off, while a couple of costly fumbles ensured they went into half-time scoreless for a third match on the bounce, at 17-0 down.

Any potential fears Wales had of joining Italy in being nilled in Dublin were extinguished within three minutes of the restart as Tomos Williams’ quick tap penalty led to a momentum shift.

Italian referee Andrea Piardi awarded a penalty try at the end of a lengthy review of a collapsed maul on Ireland’s line, with Beirne sent to the sin bin for illegally changing his bind.

Fired-up Wales were well and truly in the ascendancy at that stage but failed to make further inroads on the scoreboard in Beirne’s absence before Ireland restored order.

After the bulldozing Bundee Aki was denied a try on review for Robbie Henshaw’s knock on, Frawley, deputising for the injured Hugo Keenan, gleefully dived under the posts to celebrate his first Test start in style.

Wales came close to a consolation score in the closing minutes, during which Ireland replacement James Ryan was sent to the sin bin.

Yet, with Beirne’s late finish compounding their misery, they ultimately slipped to a 10th defeat from their last 11 Six Nations fixtures as their wait for a first championship win in Dublin since 2012 goes on.

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has emphasised the need for calm and focus as the Old Lady look to end their winless run this weekend.

Having been held 1-1 by Empoli while down to 10 men and then beaten 1-0 by Serie A leaders Inter Milan and Udinese, Juve went a fourth successive game without victory last Saturday with a 2-2 draw at Hellas Verona.

Allegri’s side are second in the table, nine points adrift of Inter having played a game more, ahead of Sunday’s game at home to Frosinone.

Allegri told a press conference: “We have worked well, as always, and tomorrow we have only one goal – to return to winning ways.

“Periods like these in football happen, I’ve been through them before and the boys know it too. We have to stay calm and focused and think about the months ahead, with two big goals to achieve – qualification for the Champions League and trying to win the Coppa Italia.

“There are some matches, like last Saturday’s in Verona, where we struggle. It is precisely in these kinds of matches that we have to maintain greater compactness and great concentration.

“If I think back to our last performances, with Inter and Udinese I saw good things, with Verona less so. However, I am convinced that this period will do us good.”

Since Allegri returned to Juventus in 2021 for a second spell in charge, he has overseen the team finishing fourth and then seventh.

He previously had five years in the job from 2014 to 2019, which saw Juve crowned league champions in all five campaigns, part of a sequence of nine consecutive titles for the club.

Allegri added: “Winning at Juve is something that is always demanded and criticism is the order of the day – if you win 3-2 you have conceded too many goals, if you win 1-0 you have scored too few.

“But if I analyse our history, I see that Juve has gone through only two cycles of great and consecutive victories, winning five Scudetti in the 1930s and nine in the last period.

“This means that winning is not something normal and taken for granted. We have the goal of getting back to winning ways and for this the club has started a path and a project that is going forward, also aiming to grow our own players.

“For this, qualifying for the Champions League is fundamental, as it is a competition that we have not missed since 2011, which is also something that cannot be taken for granted.”

Frosinone, Serie B champions last term, are three points above the relegation zone with 23 from 25 games.

Boss Eusebio Di Francesco said at his pre-match press conference: “We deserved the points we got, we probably also demonstrated something more.

“And we have to go and get those points back. Starting from the next one and not being a sacrificial victim of a team like Juventus because we go to play with them. Knowing that sooner or later something has to come back to us.”

Lump Sum confirmed Doncaster form with Fiercely Proud as Sam Thomas’ bright prospect impressed in winning the Coral Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton.

In dominating the Grade Two, the duo paid a handsome compliment to Nicky Henderson’s Jeriko Du Reponet, who had them both behind when booking his Cheltenham ticket on Town Moor.

Lump Sum was sent off the 13-8 favourite and Sam Twiston-Davies dropped his mount out in the rear early on as Fiercely Proud was close to the pace, racing keenly for the in-form Ben Jones.

When he joined Panjari on the turn for home, Fiercely Proud looked to have things under control but Twiston-Davies had bided his time on the favourite and ran out a comfortable four-and-a-half-length winner.

Thomas said: “I’m delighted. We’re not having as many runners as we may be have done in the last season or two and as a trainer I don’t have as much confidence as I should do going into races like that – I was nervous beforehand.

“I was delighted to see the horse transfer that Doncaster form, but he’s a smashing horse and learning all the time.

Lump Sum does not hold any entries in the Grade One novice events at the Cheltenham Festival, but does have options in the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at Prestbury Park.

Aintree is also an option later in the spring, but further down the line a trip to Ffos Las appears in order to try to fulfil owner Dai Walters’ long-held ambition of winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle.

“We left him out of the novices (at Cheltenham) because of how competitive it is,” continued Thomas.

“He’s in the handicaps and he could still be well handicapped, but that is a decision for Mr Walters and myself to have a chat about in the next week or two.

“Absolutely Aintree could be an option, but there is never any pressure from Mr Walters with any of the young horses and we’ve got a young horse to look forward to for many seasons to come.

“He’s a smashing hurdler for now and we’ll enjoy today before we think about the future. He’s up there with Good Risk At All who is a real mudlark and I just think he could keep going the way he is. He’s such a nice, straightforward one to train at home and is definitely one of the best ones yet. He’s done everything right.

“Our dream would be to try to win the Welsh Champion Hurdle and I know Mr Walters is desperate to win that, so that will be our first target next season.”

Tom Lacey’s Kempton specialist Blow Your Wad denied Paul Nicholls a fourth successive win in the Coral Pendil Novices’ Chase.

Having already won over hurdles at the Sunbury venue, Blow Your Wad then won a competitive event at the King George meeting over fences.

He disappointed behind Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny at Cheltenham last time out but fitted with first-time cheekpieces and back on a flat track, he beat Tahmuras by three-quarters of a length, justifying 13-8 favouritism for Stan Sheppard.

“We have run him in Grade Ones before over hurdles but he was a five-year-old taking on six-year-olds, which was probably a bit harsh on him to be fair,” said Sheppard.

“We’ve always liked him and I think he probably has to stay right-handed now because he’s won three times round here. I would say here and Sandown would be where he goes I imagine.

“He’s probably still 10lb off the top races, but with another summer he might improve again because he’s only six and there’s still plenty of room for improvement.”

Earlier on the card, Gary Moore and Caoilin Quinn teamed up to go back-to-back in the Coral Racing Club Handicap Hurdle with 9-2 shot Mark Of Gold.

Carlos Corberan highlighted West Brom’s defensive resilience after fifth-placed West Brom secured a 1-1 draw at fellow promotion chasers Hull.

The Baggies looked up against it after 35 minutes when Fabio Carvalho scored an elite goal from distance that swerved into the top-left corner.

But Corberan’s men responded manfully and equalised after 43 minutes after Darnell Furlong’s header off Jed Wallace’s corner looped over Ryan Allsop.

Corberan said: “A point was the fair result for what both teams created on the pitch.

“We both had similar types of chances and a similar number of chances.

“When you don’t win the game, it’s important not to lose.

“I think that the quality of players Hull has right now made it difficult for us and we needed to concentrate in defence to get something.

“Our defence was key to getting something out of the game, but we need to improve in two key parts: don’t concede possession and create chances.”

Sixth-placed Hull had won their last three games and would have moved above West Brom in the table with victory.

But, perhaps surprisingly, the visitors were quicker into their stride and struck the crossbar after 20 minutes through Jed Wallace.

Carvalho’s dipping opener, which did goalkeeper Alex Palmer for pace and zip, therefore came as a shock to Corberan.

But the Baggies retained a healthy tempo before the restart and equalised when Furlong evaded his marker and powerfully headed home.

Both sides struck a post after the restart, but Corberan conceded that a draw was a fair result.

He said: “We tried to be aggressive and to stop them playing from the back and we did that well.

“We had some good possibilities that could have given us something else (more goals), but they had a big chance in the second half, too.

“It was important not to lose, but it was also important that the players gave everything.

“They have a lot of quality players, and Carvalho showed the danger that he has.

“In open play we were fantastic, but we still need to increase our levels of concentration.

“We are going to work even harder, keep improving and increasing the details.

“This year the competition for the play-off positions is going to be very tight. I think there are four very strong teams that have made a gap, but the key for me is to keep going and to keep improving.”

Counterpart Liam Rosenior was unhappy by the manner in which West Brom scored and challenged his players to become more streetwise in key moments.

He said: “I just want to win every game that we play, but if you can’t win, don’t lose – it doesn’t matter at what stage of the season.

“We put ourselves in a strong position against a really organised team, but these games are about fine margins.

“We are a young team but with two minutes before half-time we should have kicked the ball out into touch – and then we conceded a corner.

“That period between Fabio’s goal and their goal, we were in control of the game, but in football it is about managing moments and we didn’t do that, which was frustrating.

“We just need to learn from the mistakes, but I can’t fault players in terms of engagement, energy levels and commitment.

“If that continues, I think we’re in a really strong position.”

Rosenior added: “I love the expectation, but we have to remember where we came from.

“It’s a process, and we’re not going to get it right every week.

“We just need to keep moving in the right direction and stay calm.

“We’re in are really good spot. We need to stay consistent, stay calm and ignore the noise.

“We’ll keep playing the way we believe – this could be a really good point for us.”

Manager Darren Ferguson stated Peterborough’s 1-0 win over Cambridge in the Cambridgeshire derby was more important than reaching Wembley on Tuesday night.

The Posh claimed their first league success at the Abbey Stadium since 1988, having beaten Blackpool four days previously to reach the EFL Trophy final.

Ephron Mason-Clark netted the winner 10 minutes into the second half when his cross from the left missed everybody and went straight in.

Peterborough got their promotion push back on track following four straight League One losses while the result compounds a difficult week for Cambridge after head coach Neil Harris left the club on Wednesday to take charge of Millwall.

Ferguson said: “I’m delighted with the win; it was the most important game of the week.

“We’ve managed to come away, get the clean sheet, get the win which we thoroughly deserved.

“It’s the first time Peterborough have won here for 30 years, which tells you how hard it is. I was really pleased for the fans we got that win.

“We were a bit fortunate with the goal. It’s a good ball into the box but obviously it’s meant for someone. We just can’t kill a team off. We get so many opportunities.

“I felt today was a really pivotal day for us. There was no way we could drop any more points. When you lose four games on the bounce it’s a terrible month but there’s still time I think to catch up.

“Last season (here) it was a painful defeat. We didn’t turn up. The fans knew that. Today was a must-win for me after last season.”

Barry Corr took interim charge of Cambridge for the second time this season following the departure of Harris.

He said: “I’ve said it to the players after the game about the things we could control. One of those things was our application, how much sweat was on the shirt at the end of the day.

“I thought they were spot on in that respect. We were totally committed to the game.

“It’s frustrating the goal they scored is a cross that snuck in at the back post. The reality is we had to work so hard without the ball that we probably didn’t have the energy when it was turned over.

“I can’t really complain too much because they had good chances in the game but we had a few little chances and for me a nailed on penalty on James Brophy.

“There’s loads of disappointment in the changing room, particularly conceding a goal like we did.

“It’s one of those random things that happens in football, sometimes they go beyond the post. Luck wasn’t with us in that respect.”

West Brom remain one place above Hull in the Sky Bet Championship play-offs following their disciplined 1-1 draw at the MKM Stadium.

Liam Rosenior’s in-form side had looked on course to move up to fifth in the table when Fabio Carvalho scored a lovely swerving goal from distance after 35 minutes.

But the visitors, who are next week expected to be taken over by Floridian businessman Shilen Patel, deservedly equalised before the break through Darnell Furlong’s downwards header.

Neither side had the artillery to force a winner – though Rosenior and West Brom manager Carlos Corberan might both be happy with a point as both sides struck a post late on.

A subdued start, during which both teams failed to find their offensive rhythm, saw West Brom perhaps looking the slightly more controlled side but continually giving away possession in promising areas of the pitch.

That was until the 20th minute when Tom Fellows hared down Hull’s right channel before sending a low cross towards Jed Wallace. His instinctive strike hit the crossbar, with Alex Mowatt’s attempt from the rebound pawed to safety by goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.

Hull, who had won their last three games, finally stepped up a gear four minutes later.

Anass Zaroury cut inside from the left and let rip with a fierce long-range hit that was well stopped by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

Carvalho was similarly positioned for the opening goal, but the Liverpool loan signing’s dipping strike was far more emphatic. Palmer might have done better at his near post, but West Brom were also guilty of failing to react to Zaroury’s quick corner.

Baggies fans might have feared the worst as their side had not won when conceding first in the Championship this season.

But hope soon reasserted itself in the away end when Furlong equalised after 43 minutes.

Jaden Philogene was too slow to adjust to the zip of Wallace’s corner, with Furlong’s header thumping into the turf, over Allsop’s head and into the left corner.

The start to the second half mirrored that of the first, with neither Hull nor West Brom doing enough to force to the issue.

Rosenior’s men saw more of the ball as the game wore on but well-drilled opponents were rarely flustered until Philogene slinked into a central position after 79 minutes.

The influential winger’s screwed hit from 18 yards had Palmer beaten, but the ball hit the base of the right post and Carvalho wastefully fired the rebound over.

West Brom also hit the woodwork two minutes later when Adam Reach’s well-directed effort struck the inside of the left post after substitute Regan Slater had given the ball away in an awful area. Mikey Johnston followed up from the right but Allsop saved his scuffed effort with his right boot.

The clast chance disappeared with Albion substitute Andi Weimann’s feeble chip straight at Allsop, ensuring a share of the spoils.

Kalif Du Berlais maintained his unbeaten record but he was made to pull out all the stops by Givemefive in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton.

Trained by Paul Nicholls and part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Kalif Du Berlais created a huge impression on his UK debut over the same course and distance and he was sent off the 10-11 favourite to follow up.

The Harry Derham-trained Givemefive had won each of his two starts though, and with Irish Derby fourth Peking Opera and the well-backed Captain Marvellous also running, it looked a deep race.

The two who fought it out pulled a long way clear, however, and it was the superior stamina of Kalif Du Berlais which saw him prevail by three-quarters of a length under Harry Cobden and meant the major golf champion, Graeme McDowell, had to settle for second with his horse.

“He took a bit of time to get going. We went an even gallop, I didn’t feel like we were going mad but I didn’t feel like he was going that easy jumping the last down the back and took a little bit of cajoling,” Cobden told ITV Racing.

“He jumped the second last well and winged the last. He’s still a big baby and was hanging up the run in, so there’s lots of improvement to come.

“He’s massive – he’s a big chasing type. I’d probably favour Aintree if it was left up to me but Paul knows what he’s doing.”

Nicholls said: “He’s shown he can tough it out, he’s given them all weight but whether we rode him right, I don’t know – I’ll see what Harry says.

“He’s very much a horse for the future and we’ll look after him at the minute, I’m thrilled with that.

“He’s had a hard race today, so I’d say he won’t run in the Triumph. Aintree is a possibility I suppose, if we’re happy, but if he didn’t run again (this season) it wouldn’t matter.

“As a chaser he’d be one of the most exciting prospects I’ve had for a long time, he’s got size and scope. To win three as a juvenile at his size is impressive.

“Harry is riding at the top of his game and let’s hope he can keep going until the end of the season like that.”

Derham may also look away from Cheltenham with Givemefive, who McDowell owns in partnership with multiple major winner Brooks Koepka.

“He’s run a brilliant race,” said Derham.

“Paul (O’Brien, jockey) and I spoke about it last night and the plan went perfectly and we just said if Cobden gets by us after the last, then so be it.

“I’m extremely proud of my horse’s run and he did everything right but just came second.

“Maybe (we’ll go to Cheltenham) but there’s a Grade Two at Fairyhouse two weeks later that makes appeal to me. There’s loads of options for him.

“I know that horse and he’s very genuine. I imagine he’ll be very tired and the lads can’t go to Cheltenham. There will be loads of very fresh and well-handicapped horses in the Fred Winter and he won’t be fresh and he won’t be well handicapped, so we might swerve that and go elsewhere.

“He’s a horse with a bright future and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.”

Peterborough capped a memorable week by claiming bragging rights with a 1-0 win at managerless arch-rivals Cambridge.

Having reached the EFL Trophy final on Tuesday, Posh grabbed the decisive goal 10 minutes into the second half.

In a seemingly unthreatening position, Ephron Mason-Clark delivered a cross from the left which evaded everyone in the box before finding the far corner of Jack Stevens’ net.

Their pressure had been building before half-time, with Archie Collins clipping the top of the bar from the edge of the box and the unmarked Kwame Poku somehow firing Malik Mothersille’s cross wide.

The hosts – who saw manager Neil Harris leave this week to return to Millwall – threatened themselves, with Jed Steer saving well from Jack Lankester’s effort and from the resulting corner Elias Kachunga headed in before being denied by the offside flag.

Having scored the opener, Mason-Clark nearly turned provider but substitute Hector Kyprianou thumped his effort onto the bar before Joel Randall’s shot was deflected just wide.

Cambridge’s big chance to equalise came on 80 minutes but Danny Andrew fired narrowly wide from 20 yards.

Joe Root believes he must keep “evolving” as a batter or risk being exposed after returning to form as England moved into the ascendancy against India in Ranchi.

Root’s sparkling 122 not out ushered England from 112 for five to 353 all out in the fourth Test as the Yorkshireman ended a lean patch which had seen him collect just 77 runs in six previous innings.

A couple of attack-orientated dismissals brought scrutiny on whether Root needed to tailor his approach – one that has brought more than 11,000 Test runs – to suit England’s current ‘Bazball’ model.

But when asked whether he has been stung by recent criticism, Root gave an impassioned defence of England’s style and insisted he must continue to develop to remain among the world’s top-tier batters.

“Certainly the execution of the shots has weighed on me,” the former England captain said. “Not necessarily the selection but the execution – I’m better than that.

“It’s not about being arrogant. Bazball is a word that’s used a lot but that’s your word, that’s not how we look at it. It’s about how can we get the best out of each other as a team. You’re not always going to get it right (but) we’ll continue to keep trying to improve.

“The reason I’ve played as many games as I have is that I’ve not wanted to stand still as a player, I have to try to keep evolving.

“If you keep on trying to play the same way over and over again, teams work you out and they find your weaknesses. If you don’t try to get better and find different ways of scoring runs, you’ll get found out.”

Root played a more traditional Test innings en route to his 31st hundred in the format before Shoaib Bashir exploited helpful conditions to finish with four for 84 as India closed on 219 for seven.

Root kept his reverse ramp out of sight and admitted a brief inkling of unfurling it to bring up three figures was quickly banished.

“It was a fleeting and selfish thought that left my mind very quickly,” Root said. “You don’t mess with the game, you just try and play what you honestly think is the best way to score runs.

“It was nice to finally get some runs in this series. It felt like it’s been a long time coming.

“It’s been disappointing but the fact I have got quite a lot of experience has been able to keep me calm. The way I’m preparing meant it was going to come at some point.”

Bashir bowled 31 overs at one end in just his eighth first-class match and second Test, with the 20-year-old offering control and a wicket-taking threat on a pitch producing spin and uneven bounce.

Bashir was solely responsible for India lurching from 86 for one to 161 for five, which included the wicket of the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 73 before bottom-edging on to his stumps.

“The way he bowls is a great little insight into his character and personality: he is quite cheeky and great fun to be around,” Root said.

“To be able to continually put pressure on some very good players of spin, I know the wicket was helpful at times but he did an amazing job and it’s a great sign for English cricket.”

Bashir’s success left Root “itching to get on” after only being called upon to bowl a single over.

But he added: “It’s nice for Stokesy to be able to put so much trust in a young guy that’s played so little Test cricket.

“You can see he wants it, he’s desperate to do his part and and it was great to see him get rewards for that.”

Draymond Green welcomed the news that Steve Kerr has agreed a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors, calling the development "incredible".

Golden State defeated the Charlotte Hornets 97-84 at home on Friday after reports had emerged that Kerr has agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid coach in NBA history.

The new deal, which is not yet formally signed, will reportedly pay Kerr, who has guided the Warriors to four NBA championships, $17.5 million a year.

His current deal was set to expire at the end of this season but Warriors forward Green was not worried about the prospect of Kerr leaving, as he was always confident an agreement would be struck.

"No [I was not worried], because I know [owner] Joe [Lacob] is going to do the right thing," Green said, per ESPN.

"He has done nothing but build that trust with us that he is going to do the right thing and take care of those who take care of this organization."

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is reported to make more annually than Kerr, but he also serves as the team’s president.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra signed an eight-year extension that pays him approximately $15m a season.

Kerr, 58, is in his 10th season as coach of the Warriors and holds a career regular season record of 501-264 and is 99-41 in the playoffs. 

He won his 500th game last week to become the fifth-fastest coach to do so in history.

"I think it's incredible," added Green. "I wouldn't want to finish my time here with any other coach. 

"What he has meant to this franchise and the winning ways that he brought here – you can't replace that. He got what he deserved."

Kerr will also coach Team USA in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He said he felt "really good" about the team's future but could not comment on the deal until it was officially signed and announced.

The victory means Golden State (29-26) has now won 10 of its last 12 games in the NBA, while Charlotte (14-42) had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Stephen Curry had 15 points and five assists in a game that saw him take on his younger brother Seth, with their father Dell on commentary to make it a special night for the family.

The Warriors' Curry (23,160 points) moved past Elgin Baylor (23,149) into 33rd place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. 

Hornets forward Miles Bridges had 19 points and 11 rebounds but was involved in a scuffle that saw Lester Quinones and Grant Williams ejected in garbage time. 

An argument had ensued after Quinones drove to the basket and attempted a layup with 10.9 seconds remaining, with Bridges called for goaltending.

"I don’t really understand why people get so mad at somebody scoring at the end of the game," added Green.

"It’s like this dumb, unofficial, unwritten rule. If you all were winning by 13 points would you get mad if he laid a ball up? I doubt it. So it's kind of like a sore loser type thing."

The Warriors will next host the Denver Nuggets in a big Sunday game.