India captain Rohit Sharma hailed Rishabh Pant upon his return to Test cricket after his second-innings ton helped the hosts go 1-0 up in their series against Bangladesh. 

Pant struck 109 from 128 deliveries to help India on their way, with Ravichandran Ashwin also starring with both a hundred and a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

But the triumph highlighted Pant's remarkable return to the red-ball format, with his sixth Test hundred making him India's leading centurion in the format among wicketkeepers, along with MS Dhoni.

Sharma showered praise on Pant upon his return to action after a horrific car crash in December 2022, highlighting his team-mate's love for Test cricket. 

"He's been through some really tough times," Sharma said.

"The way he has managed himself was superb to watch. He came back in the IPL, followed by a successful World Cup, and this is the format he loves the most.

"It was about giving him the game time. Credit to him, he had an impact straight away. No matter what the conditions are, we want to build the team around that."

Meanwhile, Ashwin etched his name into the history books with his all-round brilliance at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. 

He became the oldest player to score a century and take at least five wickets in the same Test match, breaking Olly Umrigar's 62-year-old record.

Ashwin took six wickets overall in the second innings, but he insisted that records and accolades come secondary to his bowling displays. 

"No, I don't keep track of player of the match awards. Every time I play in Chennai, it's an amazing feeling," Ashwin said. 

"I've watched a lot of Tests, international cricket in those stands, to do it in front of those renovated stands is great.

"It was an opportunity to fight, dig in deep. I've seen so many team-mates do it in the past. Was a special innings, didn't sink in till day two.

"I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first.

"I think like a bowler naturally but have focused my thoughts with batting. The compartmentalisation is a work in progress."

The honours keep coming for A'ja Wilson.

The WNBA announced Sunday that the Las Vegas Aces star was unanimously chosen as the league's MVP.

This is the third time Wilson has won the award, after also being selected in 2020 and 2022, to become just the fourth player in league history to achieve the feat, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.

Wilson received all 67 first-place votes to join Cynthia Cooper in the league's inaugural 1997 season to win the award unanimously.

The MVP selection was the latest milestone for Wilson in the past few weeks.

She established the WNBA single-season scoring record on September 11, and four days later became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season.

Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points, 451 rebounds and a league-high 98 blocks, for averages of 26.9 points, 11.8 boards and 2.6 blocks.

McLaren enjoyed a brilliant Singapore Grand Prix as Lando Norris closed the gap on Formula One drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen.

Norris led from pole position on Sunday, and never looked likely to let that lead slip as he controlled the race from the off in a statement victory - his third race win of the season.

The Briton, who did have a few brushes with the barriers, ultimately finished 20.94 seconds clear of second-place Verstappen, whose championship lead has now been cut to 52 points, though the Dutchman nevertheless remains the firm favourite to retain his crown.

Oscar Piastri, the victor in Baku last time out, completed a superb weekend for McLaren by finishing third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, though Daniel Ricciardo did do Red Bull a favour.

In what could well prove to be the final grand prix of his career, Ricciardo - racing for Red Bull's second team - pitted at the end in order to come out on soft tyres and take the fastest lap, which Norris had held.

"Thank you, Daniel," Verstappen said on the team radio when he was informed of the Australian's effort.

Charles Leclerc, who is third in the championship, completed the top five, but it was a day that belonged firmly to Norris and McLaren, who nudged themselves further clear at the top of the constructor standings.

Lewis Hamilton, who had been in the hunt for a record-equalling fifth win in Singapore, crossed in sixth.

Data Debrief: Lights to flag

The driver occupying pole had only won two of the last five races in Singapore (Hamilton in 2018 and Carlos Sainz in 2023), but Norris was in a league of his own this time out.

Norris has now equalled Stirling Moss and John Surtees on 24 podiums, meaning David Coulthard (62) and Eddie Irvine (26) are the only Britons in F1 history to have secured more podium finishes without winning a world championship.

McLaren, meanwhile, have had at least one driver on the podium in the last 14 races, matching their second-best such streak, only behind a run of 19 they managed between Australia 2007 and Malaysia 2008.

Ricciardo did at least steal some of McLaren's thunder. Ten drivers have secured at least one fastest lap in 2024. The last season with at least 10 different drivers to record a fastest lap was 2012 (12).

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 331

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 279

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 245

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 516

2. Red Bull - 475

3. Ferrari - 441

Preston North End held local rivals Blackburn Rovers to a goalless draw in Sunday's Championship fixture, with both teams being reduced to 10 men.

The hosts saw Sam Greenwood sent off three minutes before the interval, the Leeds United loanee catching Lewis Baker with a rash challenge.

That allowed Blackburn to enjoy plenty of possession in the second half but they could not make it count, and defender Owen Beck saw red to even things up when he lashed out at Duane Holmes late on.

Blackburn's Tyrhys Dolan went closest to finding the net, hitting the post on the rebound after Freddie Woodman palmed Ryan Hedges' effort into his path shortly before half-time.

Preston carved out a couple of good chances of their own soon after Greenwood's red card, but Aynsley Pears denied Brad Potts then made another fine save to keep out Andy Hughes' header as the neighbours drew a blank.

Data Debrief: Rare Lancashire blank

Sunday's stalemate was the first goalless draw between Preston and Blackburn in 43 years, and in truth, neither side can claim they did enough to warrant three points.

Preston attempted seven shots totalling just 0.37 expected goals (xG), while Blackburn only had six shots despite playing much of the game a man up, creating 0.8 xG.

Preston remain 21st in the table with just one victory after six matches, while Blackburn are fourth, four points behind early leaders West Brom.

Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis dismissed three apiece as Sri Lanka moved within two wickets of victory in the first Test against New Zealand, who need 68 runs to win.

The Black Caps faced a tall order on day four as Sri Lanka resumed with a 202-run lead, but six wickets for 72 runs in the first session gave them hope of a dramatic fightback.

Ajaz Patel finished 6-90, helping himself to five wickets – including those of Dhananjaya de Silva (40) and Angelo Mathews (50) – in an exceptional 60-minute Sunday spell.

Chasing an achievable target of 275, the tourists made a solid start despite losing Devon Conway (4) to a crashing second-over delivery from Asitha Fernando, but Jayasuriya's dismissal of Kane Williamson (30) got Sri Lanka going.

New Zealand fell from 51-1 to 96-4 with Jayasuriya – who ended the day 3-66 – and Mendis (3-83) taking centre-stage for the hosts.

However, Rachin Ravindra continued to bat steadily as the wickets tumbled around him, the left-hander chipping away at New Zealand's target with 91 runs from 158 balls by stumps.

He will be desperate for support from Patel, who was without a run from 15 balls faced by the end of play, with the contest delicately poised in Galle ahead of the final day.

Data Debrief: Patel the potential hero?

Patel took eight wickets across Sri Lanka's two innings, with his 6-90 in the second innings his third-best return in any red-ball match, after taking all 10 versus India in December 2021 and 6-57 against Bangladesh last year.

The diminutive spinner has a chance to be the hero of this opening Test on Monday, if he can just stick around long enough to support Ravindra in the Black Caps' chase.

Only three times in his red-ball career has Patel scored over double figures with the bat, hitting 35 runs versus Pakistan last year, 20 in England in 2021 and 14 against Sri Lanka at this same venue five years ago. 

Carlos Alcaraz slammed the congested schedule in elite-level tennis, with the world number three saying "they are going to kill us".

As a hectic season draws towards a close, Alcaraz is competing for Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

The 21-year-old, who won the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year and also reached the final of the Paris Olympics, has played 50 matches on the ATP Tour last year.

And the Spaniard feels tournament organisers are not doing enough to protect player welfare.

"Probably they are going to kill us in some way," said Alcaraz, who beat Ben Shelton on Saturday.

"Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that [injury]."

Alcaraz also suggested he struggles when it comes to motivating himself when the schedule is so congested.

He added: "Sometimes, you don't want to go to a tournament.

"I'm not going to lie – I have felt this way a few times already.

"Sometimes I don't feel motivated at all. But as I've said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That's the best option to keep motivating [myself]."

Alcaraz was in doubles action alongside Casper Ruud on Sunday, before facing Taylor Fritz in the singles.

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's critics want to see them wiped "off the face of the Earth" as the hearing into their 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League rules continues.

In February 2023, City were charged with breaching the Premier League's financial rules 115 times over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

The club, who have strongly denied all the charges and say they have "irrefutable" evidence of their innocence, were referred to an independent commission, and their long-awaited hearing began last week.

City, who have won an unprecedented four straight English top-flight titles, could in theory be expelled from the Premier League or handed a huge points deduction if found guilty.

While addressing criticism of teams' early-season performances at a press conference to preview Sunday's huge clash with Arsenal, Guardiola said City's rivals were desperate to see them punished harshly.

"During a season, you can say, 'Oh, it was a bad season'. But for performances some people say, 'Oh, it's a disgrace, it is a disaster, it's unacceptable," Guardiola said.

"No, during 90 minutes, sometimes it's one bad afternoon when they were better.

"But I would say... I'm sorry, I want to defend my club, especially in these modern days when everyone is expecting us not [only] to be relegated, to be disappeared off the face of the Earth, the world. 

"We have better afternoons than the opponents. That's why we win a lot."

Beatriz Haddad Maia clinched her first WTA title of the year by fighting back from a set and a break down to beat Daria Kasatkina 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the Korea Open final on Sunday.

Haddad Maia, who produced her second-best major run by reaching the US Open quarter-finals earlier this month, was a distant second-best as she lost the opener 6-1.

Top seed Kasatkina then broke in the first game of the second set but Haddad Maia rallied from there, hitting back in the sixth game then later winning set point against her opponent's serve.

The Brazilian was irrepressible in the decider, winning 100% of her first-serve points (10/10) and saving three break points in a row when Kasatkina did put the pressure on midway through the set.

Haddad Maia made that count by going two breaks up, then served out the contest to love to earn her first title since winning the WTA Elite Trophy in China last year.

Data Debrief: Haddad Maia goes one better

Haddad Maia reached the final of the Korea Open on her tournament debut in 2017, only to go down to Jelena Ostapenko in her first WTA showpiece match – and her last until she won the 2022 Nottingham Open.

A dominant performance on serve got her over the line on Sunday, after her early wobble.

Haddad Maia won 72% of first-serve points to Kasatkina's 63%, also converting four of the five break points she generated.  

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi hailed Los Pumas for combining "beautiful" attacking play with resolute defensive work as they kept their Rugby Championship hopes alive with a dramatic victory over South Africa.

Having won their first four games of the 2024 tournament, the Springboks knew a win in Santiago would have clinched their fifth Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship crown with a match to spare.

They raced into an early lead with tries from Aphelele Fassi and Jesse Kriel, only for Mateo Carreras, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi and Tomas Albornoz to go over in response for the hosts.

The visitors later re-established their lead in the second half, only for Albornoz's penalty to put Argentina 29-28 ahead, which remained the final score following a late penalty miss from South Africa's Manie Libbok.

After the win, which preserved Argentina's hopes of overhauling the Springboks in matchweek six, Contepomi said: "The victory could have been a defeat in the last minute. 

"Beyond the result, which is obviously welcome, the important thing is what we were able to do at times, which is to impose our game.

"At times it came out and we shot ourselves in the foot, because we gave them an entrance into the game with penalties and unforced errors.

"South Africa are predictable, but it's not easy. You know what they are going to do, but they do it so well that it is very difficult to stop. Every centimetre counts.

"The attacking play is what is easiest to see, or the most beautiful, but I think a lot about our work on defence."

Argentina go to Mbombela for their final game next Saturday, sitting five points behind the world champions in the standings.

"We have many areas to correct," Contepomi said, looking ahead to that rematch. "There are small mistakes that allowed them into the game. 

"It's about trying to minimise the ones you can control, the unforced errors. We are going to work on that to continue growing."

Ravichandran Ashwin added a six-wicket haul to his century as India recorded a dominant 280-run victory in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

The hosts were well on their way to victory at the start of play on day four, with three Ashwin wickets helping them drop the tourists to 158-4 on Saturday, chasing a daunting target of 515.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept India waiting for their fifth wicket on Sunday, his resistance defining a wicketless first hour of play.

However, after drinks, Chennai local Ashwin and Chennai Super Kings star Ravindra Jadeja combined to brilliant effect to rip through the visitors. 

Ashwin made the breakthrough by having Shakib Al Hasan caught for 25 from just his fourth delivery of the day, then Jadeja's full ball was helped straight to Rohit Sharma at first slip by Litton Das (1).

Ashwin brought up his five-for soon afterwards by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz (8), then Shanto's courageous knock of 82 was finally brought to an end by Jadeja, the Bangladesh skipper's top edge being well held by Jasprit Bumrah.

Jadeja finished 58-3 by bowling Hasan Mahmud (7) for the final wicket, but not before Ashwin had brought up his sixth dismissal, having Taskin Ahmed caught for five runs.

India will now look to clinch the two-match series when the second Test gets underway in Kanpur on Friday.

Data Debrief: Ashwin closing on Botham 

Ashwin's first-innings knock of 113 helped India build a commanding lead before Bangladesh took up the bat for the second time on Friday, and he was equally brilliant with the ball.

Having dismissed three before stumps on Friday, he did likewise in an enjoyable second session on Saturday, bringing up his 37th five-for in red-ball cricket.

It is the fourth time he has hit a hundred and scalped five wickets in a single Test, and he has also done so in successive Tests in Chennai. Only England great Ian Botham (five times) has ever achieved both feats in the same Test more often.

Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid have no choice but to manage their players' minutes with the new Champions League format dialling up the intensity of their schedule.

Atleti have made a positive start to the season, registering three wins and two draws from their first five matches in LaLiga to match Real Madrid's pace and sit four points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

They also made a winning start to their Champions League campaign in midweek, fighting back to beat RB Leipzig 2-1 with a last-gasp winner from Jose Maria Gimenez.

With eight European league-phase games to play this term, Atleti face an incredibly busy schedule, with no free midweek slots until December, excluding international breaks.

After going to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, Los Colchoneros visit Celta Vigo on Thursday then face Real Madrid, Benfica and Real Sociedad in the space of a week. 

"It makes us try to manage the squad in the best way but the difficulties come in the hours approaching the game, when we need to win," Simeone said ahead of Sunday's trip across the Spanish capital. 

"The word rotation is not good, it is an opportunity for those who play and you cannot always repeat the same players, because then you are on the way to significant injuries as we have seen.

"On our physical side, we have to try to manage their health in the best way. Only with health can we have a team.

"On the pitch there is little to work in the time we have left for each game, especially when it is Thursday and Sunday."

Paris-Saint Germain coach Luis Enrique is cautious about crowning Ousmane Dembele as Kylian Mbappe's replacement, instead preferring to avoid heaping pressure on him.

Dembele's second-half strike maintained PSG's unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season as they drew 1-1 at Reims on Saturday, taking him to four goals for the campaign.

In just four matches, Dembele has already bettered his tally from 26 league games last term (three), while his six goal involvements (four goals, two assists) are a league-high figure.

Having lost Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer ahead of the campaign, PSG need their remaining forwards to step up, but Luis Enrique says it cannot be up to Dembele alone.

"We're not looking for a goalscorer, because if you put the pressure on Dembele and then he doesn't score the goals you want him to score, we'll start with the problems," he said.

"What we want is for the team to win. Who scores? I don't care. Let someone who wears the PSG shirt score. 

"There is no pressure on one player only. The whole team has to keep improving."

PSG arrived in Reims on the back of a late victory over Girona in the Champions League, but struggled to find their rhythm with the likes of Marcos Asensio and Gianluigi Donnarumma out injured.

"We knew from the start that it was going to be a very difficult game. They played very well, they're physically very strong and they were good on the ball," the PSG boss said.

Next up, PSG host Rennes on Friday before facing Arsenal in a mammoth Champions League tie four days later – one of several tough fixtures the French champions were handed in last month's draw.

"We will change players depending on what we see in the games," Luis Enrique said of his plan for those games. 

"I have a lot of versatility in my squad to be able to use that and it's an option we have on a regular basis with different players."

The Cleveland Guardians’ rally on the field may have come up short on Saturday night, but that didn’t stop the celebration afterwards.

The Guardians lost 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals but clinched their 12th AL Central title since 1995 after the Kansas City Royals were beaten by the San Francisco Giants.

“This is awesome just to see the joy,” Cleveland manager Steven Vogt told reporters after the game. “The result of tonight's game, it matters, but at the end of the day, we need to celebrate this. Any time you get the chance, you win the division, you've got to enjoy every second of it.”

The Guardians (90-66) have spent 170 days in first place this season, the most in the American League and trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 181 days in the majors.

Jose Ramirez starred in the losing effort on Saturday, hitting his 37th home run and 36th double this season.

Entering the eighth inning, Cleveland trailed 6-1 with their only run coming on a Bo Naylor solo shot.

Ramirez’s homer provided three runs in a fourth-run eighth inning, but the Guardians could never close the gap entirely.

Nick Sandlin gave up four runs in the seventh, but they were all unearned, coming after a Naylor fielding error.

Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker went deep for the Cardinals. Miles Mikolas gave up one run and four hits in six innings to earn the win.

White Sox on brink of losses record

The Chicago White Sox took one more step toward infamy, tying the American League record with their 119th loss of the season.

Xander Bogaerts, David Peralta and Elias Diaz hit home runs and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2 as the Padres moved closer to securing a post-season berth.

Chicago (36-119) fell into a tie with the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) for the worst season in AL history. The expansion 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games, the most in baseball’s modern era.

San Diego picked up a game in the NL West standings on the Los Angeles Dodgers and now trail by three with seven games to play.

The Padres are currently slotted as the NL’s top wild card team with a three-game lead over the final wild card spot.

San Diego have won seven of their last eight games and have baseball’s best record since the All-Star break at 38-17.

Mets top Phils to stay alive in NL East

Sean Manaea had another strong outing, Brandon Nimmo sparked a three-run seventh inning and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3, denying Philly a division-clinching win.

Francisco Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña hit solo home runs early, and Alvarez added a two-run double in the seventh as the Mets collected their 17th win in 22 games.

Manaea won his fourth consecutive decision, allowing three hits and three runs in seven innings’ work. Edwin Diaz got the last four outs for his 19th save of the season.

New York (86-69) remained two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the NL’s final wild card spot.

Philadelphia (92-63), who clinched a playoff berth on Friday, needed one more win over the Mets to secure their first NL East title since 2011 but will have another chance on Sunday.

Kyle Schwarber extended his MLB record by hitting his 15th leadoff home run of the season, his 36th homer overall. Nick Castellanos also went deep, but Philadelphia managed just four hits.

The Phillies’ staff issued seven walks in the game, while the Mets’ staff issued none.