Manchester United will not appeal against a four-game domestic ban given to Casemiro after his red card against Southampton, with Raphael Varane backing them to cope in his absence.

A VAR review saw Casemiro shown a straight red card for a forceful challenge on Carlos Alcaraz during the first half of Sunday's goalless draw at Old Trafford.

The midfielder was also sent off in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace last month, making him the first United player to receive two red cards in a single Premier League season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14.

His second dismissal of the campaign means he must serve a four-match domestic suspension, missing Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham as well as league meetings with Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

Erik ten Hag questioned Casemiro's dismissal after Sunday's game, claiming the 31-year-old is "tough but fair" and labelling the decision "debatable".  

On Monday, however, United confirmed they would not launch an appeal against the Brazilian's suspension, having determined "there was not a high chance of being able to overturn the ban".

United have suffered as many defeats in seven Premier League games without Casemiro (W3 D1) as in 19 (W12 D4) with the former Real Madrid man this term, while their win rate drops from 63.2 per cent to 42.9 per cent in his absence.

Varane, however, believes the depth of their squad will now come to the fore, saying: "He's a player who is very important for us. He brings balance to the team and to the squad. 

"But we have a great squad and we have to find another balance without him. We have good players in every position on the pitch and we are ready for the next games.

"I think he was very disappointed because nobody wants to be off the pitch before the end. We can't be happy with the decision he [the referee] takes but that's part of football." 

Casemiro will be available when United travel to Real Betis for the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, after the Red Devils posted a 4-1 win in the first fixture at Old Trafford last week.

Jason Kelce still has more he wants to accomplish with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The star center announced on Monday he will return for the 2023 season.

"I have put much thought into whether it makes sense to play another season," Kelce wrote on Twitter.

"After talking it over with my wife and many other friends and family, I have decided to return for another year.

"Thank you to all my supporters and detractors for fuelling me, I ain't f***ing done yet!"

Considered one of the best centers in the NFL, the 35-year-old Kelce has anchored Philadelphia's offensive line since being drafted by the franchise in 2011, starting every game for them since the start of the 2015 season.

A 12-year veteran, Kelce was named to his sixth Pro Bowl this past season while also earning a first-team All-Pro selection for the fifth time.

He won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during the 2017 season and helped the Eagles reach this past season's Super Bowl, where they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother – star tight end Travis.

Tyson Fury is "scared" to face Oleksandr Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian to "up the ante", promoter Alexander Krassyuk has claimed.

A late turnaround in the past week saw talks reignite between the two heavyweight champions, sparking fresh hope for a fiercely anticipated unification bout.

Usyk took to social media to accept a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury, with the WBA stating on Friday it had been informed of an agreement.

Wembley is expected to be the venue for the bout, with April 29 a proposed date, and Fury has now urged his rival to make the fight a one-off event.

Posting a video on social media, he said: "I've been speaking to the lawyers, and Usyk's people have been talking about rematch clauses and all that.

"Here's one to up the ante – how about there is no rematch clause for both of us? Let's up the ante completely.

"Never worry about what's in the future or how many more dollars you can get after you've been defeated. Worry about the fight.

"No rematch clause. Winner takes the glory, the loser goes home. How about that? Agree to that."

However, Usyk's promoter Krassyuk accused Fury of being "scared" with his latest demand and suggested the 'Gypsy King' is looking for a way to pull out of a fight.

"As Usyk said, the greedy belly is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now," he told talkSPORT. "As soon as Usyk accepts a no-rematch clause, there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.

"I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn't expect Usyk to accept [a 70-30 split].

"He was not in a training camp, and we saw the next morning the theatrical performance that he was pretending to jog and fight someone in the ring.

"It's all about nothing. He's not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible.

"We don't trust him, we don't believe him. One more thing to know, when we started the negotiations, Fury's side was the first to ask for the rematch. Fury were the first to ask for the rematch, and we supported this."

Tuesday will bring two finely poised contests in the Champions League last 16 as the second legs continue.

A late goal from Romelu Lukaku gave Inter a narrow 1-0 advantage against Porto at San Siro heading into the return fixture in Portugal.

The Serie A giants did not exactly prepare well, though, losing 2-1 at lowly Spezia on Friday, while Sergio Conceicao's side earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against Estoril Praia the same day.

Manchester City host RB Leipzig fresh off a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace thanks to an Erling Haaland penalty, while the Bundesliga club moved up to third in the table following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

After their 1-1 draw in the first leg in Germany, Pep Guardiola will be hoping that home advantage can keep the club's dream alive of a first Champions League title.

Stats Perform has picked out the standout Opta data to preview Tuesday's games.

Porto v Inter

Porto have lost three of their five matches against Inter in the Champions League, though all three of those defeats came away from home. The return leg at the Estadio do Dragao could mean a different story, as they have earned one win and one draw against Inter on home soil.

Having said that, Porto have lost four of their last six home matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League, conceding 13 goals across those four defeats.

They have, though, won each of their last four home matches in Europe against Italian clubs, beating Roma, Juventus, Milan and Lazio in succession. The last Italian side to defeat them away from home was Juventus in February 2017.

Inter have progressed from four of their five two-legged Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg, only being eliminated from such a position in 2005-06 by Villarreal.

Porto have been eliminated from six of their seven two-legged Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, only progressing in 2018-19 against Roma.

Lukaku's winning goal in the first leg meant he has scored eight goals in 12 appearances for Inter in the Champions League. His record of 111 minutes per goal is the best of any player to have scored five or more goals for the club in the European Cup/Champions League.

Manchester City v RB Leipzig

City are unbeaten across their last 23 home matches in the Champions League, winning 21. If they avoid defeat in this match, they will equal Arsenal's record for the longest home unbeaten run by an English club in the competition (24 games between September 2004 and April 2009).

Leipzig are unbeaten in five matches in the Champions League (W4 D1), their longest unbeaten run in the competition since a seven-game stretch in 2019-20 when they reached the semi-final.

The last team to defeat City at the Etihad Stadium in a Champions League knockout stage match was Liverpool in the 2017-18 quarter-final second leg – visiting sides have avoided defeat just once in eight matches since.

Marco Rose has taken charge of three matches in the Champions League knockout stages, with all three coming against City, after his Monchengladbach side were eliminated by the club in the last 16 in 2020-21. The only previous instance of a head coach facing the same opponent in his first four Champions League knockout stage matches is Frank Rijkaard against Chelsea between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Haaland has scored 17 goals in 11 home matches in the Champions League for Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and City, scoring at least two goals in seven of those games. The Norwegian has scored a goal every 49 minutes on average in these matches.

Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku has scored 10 goals across his last 12 starts in the Champions League, including a hat-trick against City at the Etihad Stadium in September 2021. Nkunku is one of two players to score a hat-trick against City in the competition, the other being Lionel Messi in October 2016.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee described Kane Williamson as "world-class" after he led them to a dramatic final-ball win against Sri Lanka in the first Test at the Hagley Oval.

After rain delays on the final day on Monday, the hosts eventually began play on 28-1, needing a further 257 runs to win from 52 overs.

That effectively turned the innings into one more akin to an ODI, and both teams approached it as such

Williamson, who was dismissed for just one in the first innings, was the fulcrum for the chase as he hit 121 from 194 balls, with various partners showing more aggression after opener Tom Latham had fallen for 24.

Williamson and Daryl Mitchell (81 from 86) put on 142 for the fourth wicket, before Asitha Fernando (3-63) started taking wickets to set up a tense ending.

New Zealand still needed eight runs from the final over with just three wickets remaining, with Matt Henry then run out from the third ball.

With the last delivery of the match, Williamson and the injured Neil Wagner desperately ran through a bye to win it, with the former only getting his bat in marginally as Sri Lanka produced a direct hit at the stumps at the non-striker's end.

"Seeing how calm Kane is out in the middle keeps us calm as well," Southee said after the win. "He's a world-class player and world-class players are able to perform in different conditions.

"The guys were very trusting in what he was going to do and, alongside Daryl, for most of the day it was a great partnership that got us in that great position."

The defeat for Sri Lanka meant they were unable to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final, with India taking that spot against Australia.

It gave the Black Caps their third-highest successful chase in Test cricket (285), and their second remarkable Test win in recent weeks after the one-run victory against England last month.

The second Test in Wellington gets underway on Friday.

Pep Guardiola admitted his time at Manchester City will be judged on Champions League success, despite remaining in the hunt for three trophies this season.

Five points behind Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title, City face Burnley on Saturday in the FA Cup quarter-finals as the push for a potential treble continues.

Before that, City's focus will be on their European campaign, with their last-16 tie with RB Leipzig delicately poised after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Last month, Riyad Mahrez's opening goal was cancelled out by Josko Gvardiol's second-half equaliser, leaving everything to play for at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

City stand as the favourites for many to go all the way in the Champions League this season, though they have fallen short in previous campaigns when shouldering such expectations.

While Guardiola has won a plethora of honours during his time with the club, he conceded he will be judged on whether he can deliver long-awaited Champions League glory.

"Yes," he replied when asked if that was the case at the pre-match press conference, "It doesn't mean I agree with that, but absolutely we will be judged by this competition.

"Every team at this stage has a lot of qualities and many strengths. Tomorrow, we have to impose our game and do what we have to do. We have to win the game, so it is easy.

"It is not about how many goals we have to score; it is just to win the game - that is what we have to do."

Though others will look to the Champions League as the be-all and end-all for City, Guardiola outlined the importance of competing in three competitions at this stage of the season.

"It's really important to be alive for the last few months of the season, so you do as much as you can to extend the chance to be in the competitions, to still be in Europe, or in the Premier League, to be close to Arsenal," he said.

"I don't know any team, manager or player who plays in a competition and tries not to win. I've never met anyone like that. Everyone wants to win, there's no exception here."

Kevin de Bruyne downplayed any suggestion of issues within the team and a decline in form for Manchester City's star striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland has been in sensational form in his debut campaign with the club, scoring 34 goals in all appearances across all competitions.

However, the Norway international has scored just three goals in his last nine appearances, leading to suggestions that his performance levels have dropped.

De Bruyne does not see it that way though, explaining that teams are more prepared to face him now than they were at the beginning of the season.

"I think it's a bit of everything but I don't feel like it's different than in the beginning," he told a press conference ahead of the Champions League clash against RB Leipzig.

"People are maybe more anticipating to his runs, there's always the first part of the season and then the second part. In the second part, I feel teams are a lot more organised, they play for more from both sides of the table, so people are more prepared in every sense of the way.

"Maybe he was a little bit more prolific [before] when he got the chances but I don't think we need to complain about Erling's output. I think he's fine.

"If we see the Crystal Palace game, he could have scored two, I don't think there's any issue but obviously people are always anticipating for him to score two or three goals but his average is a goal a game. It seems fine for me.

"It's good to have different options. In the past few years, people would maybe say there wasn't enough presence in the box and there wasn't enough deep runs, now people are saying the opposite.

"It works in different ways. In the beginning of the season when everything was going in, we were winning a lot of games and nothing was going wrong, but then obviously when you lose a few points it's different.

"I don't think there's an issue with anything going out from the team or with Erling. I know people will judge on how we play and maybe we sometimes play a better brand of football in different games or in other years but that happens.

"Crystal Palace at home for instance, he won us the game. I think the team is really happy with him, he's really happy playing with us, so I think we're fine."

Ollie Lawrence has been left out of England's final squad of this year's Six Nations after sustaining a hamstring injury in Saturday's thrashing by France.

Lawrence had started his country's last three Tests, but the centre has been replaced by Guy Porter as Steve Borthwick named his 36-man training camp squad for the trip to Ireland next weekend.

There are returns for George Ford, Jonny Hill and Ollie Hassell-Collins, while Will Collier is also called up and Manu Tuilagi returns from suspension.

Borthwick's men will be hoping to put in a vastly improved performance at the Aviva Stadium after they were on the end of their record home defeat at the hands of France, going down 53-10 at Twickenham.

England hooker Jamie George apologised to fans after the game, with many leaving early after seeing their team concede seven tries to Les Bleus.

"I want to apologise because I'm one of [the fans] really," he said. "I would be gutted if I'd turned up to Twickenham to see an England team play like that.

"We are sorry and we need to make sure that we get better and learn from this experience because it's clear we have a long way to go."

Ireland are on course for a Grand Slam after they beat Scotland 22-7 at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Full England squad:

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Will Collier, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.

Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Ford, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Max Malins Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Guy Porter, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs.

March Madness has arrived and the NCAA Tournament field is set, with some exciting NBA prospects and a seven-foot-four behemoth expected to make waves.

With the conference tournaments officially in the books, reigning champions the Kansas Jayhawks have been joined by the Purdue Boilermakers, the Houston Cougars and the Alabama Crimson Tide as the four one-seeds in the 68-team field.

Purdue are led by National Player of the Year favourite Zach Edey, who has emerged as one of this generation's most dominant bigs during his third season in Indiana, while the other top seeds have relied on stellar play from first-year freshmen.

Dozens of NBA scouts will be in attendance at the 'big dance', and while new faces always emerge under the bright lights, here are the headliners from this year's tournament favourites.

Gradey Dick, Kansas

NBA comparison: Kyle Kuzma

Jalen Wilson is the defending champions' best player but it is his wing partner Gradey Dick, over three years younger, who is the X-factor and Kansas' top NBA prospect.

Dick, 19, was a highly regarded high school recruit who instantly earned a starting role on one of college basketball's perennial powerhouses.

Having played in all 34 of Kansas' games this season, helping them go 27-7, the six-foot-eight, sweet-shooting wing looked right at home from the jump. He scored 23 points on his debut – one of his seven 20-point games for the season – while displaying a professional offensive game.

With ideal size for an NBA wing, Dick's money-maker will be his jump shot, boasting a 39.9 per cent clip from three-point range on an aggressive 5.8 attempts per game. 

His free throw percentage of 85.1 shows that his touch is real, and he has delivered in off-the-dribble situations as well movement threes off hard cuts, illustrating his upside as more than a stagnant corner spacer.

While he lacks some foot speed and explosive bounce, he has the size and competitiveness to compete against big wings at the next level, and his 1.4 steals per game show quick hands that will add to his value on that end.

Dick's three-point heavy game, combined with his versatility and playmaking flashes at his size point to an NBA role similar to Kyle Kuzma with the Washington Wizards, where he can excel as a complimentary piece while also shouldering some of the creation workload.

Kansas, ranked third in the country, have four wins over teams ranked in the top-10 at the time of their meetings, and will hope the addition of Dick to last year's National Championship team will be enough to go back-to-back.

Zach Edey, Purdue

NBA comparison: Jonas Valanciunas with less shooting

The most dominant player in college basketball this season, the seven-foot-four Canadian took a monumental leap on both ends of the floor coming into his junior year.

Known as a per-minute monster through his first two seasons at Purdue, Edey went from an interesting bench piece playing 14.7 minutes per game as a freshman, to a role-playing starter with 19.0 minutes per game as a sophomore, before exploding as their star player this campaign, averaging 31.7 minutes.

Incredibly, he has been able to sustain almost all of his per-minute dominance in an expanded role. After averaging 30.3 points, 16.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 40 minutes last season, he has proven he can continue to produce as a focal point with 27.9 points, 16.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 40.

It has translated to averages of 22.1 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, all while leading all of college basketball – including all 352 division one teams – in a number of advanced stats. 

Edey leads the country in total rebounding percentage, grabbing down 24.5 per cent of all misses while he is on the floor, buoyed by his number one ranking in the offensive rebound category as well (21.8 per cent). 

Purdue became one of the best teams in the country last season when Edey was injected into the starting line-up, and have stayed near the top of the rankings this whole year, peaking at number one before settling at number five with a 29-5 record after winning their conference tournament.

Edey will almost certainly be who decides how far Purdue go in the big dance, and as a reward for his incredible year, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year. The past 13 players to win the award have all been selected in the NBA Draft, and he is a favourite to take home National Player of the Year honours.

Brandon Miller, Alabama

NBA comparison: Lauri Markkanen with more defense

There is no archetype more in-demand in the NBA than tall, long-armed wings with the ability to both shoot and defend – and Alabama's Brandon Miller is the best of this year's class.

Standing at six-foot-nine with a plus wingspan, Miller has flashed a professional scoring game, averaging 19.5 points while shooting 45.9 per cent from the field, an impressive 40.7 per cent from long range on an eye-opening 7.4 three-point attempts per game, and a rock-solid 85.3 per cent from the free throw line.

Add into the equation that he is a willing defender who can realistically guard three positions at a high level, while also grabbing over eight rebounds per game, and you have a modern wing who ticks just about every box.

Profiling as the most 'sure thing' prospect in college basketball this season, Miller's main knocks come from a lack of physicality, which has resulted in a disappointing success rate on attempts near the basket as he struggles to deal with contact.

As a big, finesse wing, Miller projects to fill a similar role to Lauri Markkanen since his emergence with the Utah Jazz, as one of the league's only players at that size to average at least three makes from both the three-point line and free throw line per game.

Miller is not the first skinny 20-year-old to enter the draft, he will not be the last, and he has shown unequivocally that he can be the best player on a good team. 

He is the only player on the fourth-ranked, 29-5 Alabama team averaging more than 13 points and the only one averaging at least eight rebounds, while leading them in three-point makes (99), free throw makes (128) and being second in total steals (29).

Jarace Walker, Houston

NBA comparison: Jimmy Butler

An arguably unique prospect projected to be a lottery pick in this year's NBA Draft, Houston's Jarace Walker is a game-wrecker on the defensive end.

At six-foot-eight with a seven-foot-two wingspan, Walker will begin his career as a four who can play some small-ball center, but has shown enough playmaking, shooting and feel for the game to project well in a more on-ball role moving forward.

His primary value will come on the defensive end, with his quick feet defying his football-player's frame at 240lb, and that combination of size, length and quickness will have him on the short list of players who can defend the NBA's top big wings.

A versatile player on the offensive end, Walker has yet to truly figure out how he can take over games on a consistent basis, with nine performances of at least 15 points, and seven games with five points or fewer.

He evokes visions of a young Jimmy Butler, who came into the league as a position-less forward, but was able to refine his ball-handling to a level that allowed him to take advantage of his clear passing and playmaking ability.

Walker flashes some similar tantalising skills off the dribble, showing off some nifty passes in traffic, but the title-hungry Cougars have no time to waste trying out new looks with their freshman wing, with 22-year-old point guard Marcus Sasser running the show.

The top-ranked team in the country at 31-3, Houston will enter the tournament as arguably the favourite, with 19-year-old Walker the only teenager in the starting line-up.

Southampton have said they are "disgusted and disappointed" by racist abuse aimed at Kyle Walker-Peters following their goalless draw at Manchester United.

The right-back received a number of racist replies after posting on Instagram following Sunday's stalemate at Old Trafford.

Southampton issued a statement on Monday condemning the abuse, though Walker-Peters was not named directly, with the club confirming the messages had been forwarded to Hampshire Police.

The Premier League club also referenced a similar incident from two years ago in which now former player Alexandre Jankewitz was racially abused following a game against the same opposition.

"In February 2021 the club made a statement about one of our young players receiving abhorrent racial abuse following a match against Manchester United," the statement read.

"More than two years on, we find ourselves in the exact same position: disgusted and disappointed in the behaviour of those online who lower themselves to abusing players for the colour of their skin.

"What is equally frustrating is the lack of meaningful action in those two years from the social media platforms who allow such hatred to breed and fester.

"As we have said before, Southampton Football Club fights every day to remove such people from our sport and our community in order to protect our players, our staff, Southampton fans and those football supporters around the world who recognise and celebrate the diversity that makes football special.

"We have forwarded the messages concerned to Hampshire Police in keeping with our normal processes when dealing with these cases.

"We have also reported these posts to the social media platforms involved.

"We can only hope that they finally pay attention to what continues to be a major problem and that we do not find ourselves repeating these words in another two years time."

Gary Lineker will return to host Match of the Day next weekend after Director-General of the BBC, Tim Davie, announced a review into its social media guidance.

Lineker was not involved in this week's edition of the hugely popular British football show after he became involved in a political row following a Twitter post in which the former England striker criticised the UK Government's immigration policy.

The BBC asked Lineker to step back from hosting duties, which led to a number of pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, as well as commentators refusing to take part.

That forced the BBC to air a much-trimmed version of the show on Saturday and Sunday, only showing highlights of the weekend's Premier League games with no analysis or commentary.

A statement from Davie on Monday acknowledged that the BBC's social media guidance was open to misinterpretation, promising an independent review into it.

"Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences," the statement read. "I apologise for this. The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC's social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air.

"Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its Charter and a commitment to freedom of expression. That is a difficult balancing act to get right where people are subject to different contracts and on air positions, and with different audience and social media profiles.

"The BBC’s social media guidance is designed to help manage these sometimes difficult challenges and I am aware there is a need to ensure that the guidance is up to this task. It should be clear, proportionate, and appropriate.

"Accordingly, we are announcing a review led by an independent expert – reporting to the BBC – on its existing social media guidance, with a particular focus on how it applies to freelancers outside news and current affairs. The BBC and myself are aware that Gary is in favour of such a review.

"Shortly, the BBC will announce who will conduct that review. Whilst this work is undertaken, the BBC’s current social media guidance remains in place.

"Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend."

Lineker also issued a statement, simply saying: "I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review and look forward to getting back on air."

The 62-year-old presenter then took to Twitter to go into more detail, writing: "After a surreal few days, I'm delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming.

"I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost three decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday.

"A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn't compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It's heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you.

"We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you."

India secured their spot in the World Test Championship Final after a draw in the fourth Test with Australia sealed a 2-1 series win.

Travis Head (90), Marnus Labuschagne (63no) and Steven Smith (10) took Australia to 175-2 and 84 runs ahead when handshakes were exchanged at Narendra Modi Stadium, with the hosts keeping hold of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

With New Zealand beating Sri Lanka with the final ball earlier on Monday, India will now look ahead to the WTC Final at the Oval in England in June – where they will face Australia again.

A largely uneventful day of cricket in Ahmedabad favoured the batters, with India having established a 91-run first-innings lead on Sunday.

Matthew Kuhnemann (six) fell early to an lbw from Ravichandran Ashwin (1-58) but Australia found their batting rhythm with Head and Labuschagne forging a 139-run stand before Axar Patel (1-36) dismissed the former.

On a slow pitch, no further wickets fell and the only question heading into the final session was whether Labuschagne could achieve what Head fell just short of – reaching a century.

However, the teams shook hands at the earliest possible opportunity, with 17.5 overs remaining, to declare a draw and confirm a fourth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that ended 2-1 to India.

Head falls short

On a day that offered little excitement, Head hit 12 boundaries to finish agonisingly short of reaching his first Test hundred overseas.

However, a score of 90 now stands as Head's highest tally not on Australian soil, with a total of 760 runs in the 2022-23 season his best ever.

Patel limits Australia

The pitch in Ahmedabad did not favour bowlers yet it was navigated well by Patel, who brought the end to Head's charge for a century.

In 19 overs, Australia scored 36 runs with Patel bowling to result in an economy rate of 1.89 – the second-lowest tally on the day from a player with more than five overs.

Ruud Gullit advised Harry Kane to "be selfish" and leave Tottenham in pursuit of trophies amid reported interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

The England captain took his tally of Premier League goals this season to 20 with a brace against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the sixth campaign he has hit the figure – only Alan Shearer (seven) having done so on more occasions.

However, a poor start to the month has seen Spurs exit the Champions League at the hands of Milan and eliminated from the FA Cup by second-tier Sheffield United, ensuring the London side will endure another season without a trophy.

Kane has twice finished runner-up in the EFL Cup with Spurs (2014-15 and 2020-21), as well as suffering defeat in the 2018-19 Champions League final against Liverpool, while Spurs' last trophy was the EFL Cup in 2007-08.

Gullit said if he was in Kane's situation, he would seek an exit and believes silverware is the only thing that matters when your career comes to an end.

"If it was me, I would be selfish and I would say, 'look, I'm going,'" Gullit, who won majors honours as a player and manager, told BeIN Sports.

"The worst part is always that you have a lot of players who are always loyal, but they didn't win anything. What is there for you? You want to win trophies? Is that true or not?

"If you're not good enough, the club says, thank you very much, right? If the clubs themselves are not good enough, then I have to go and try to get trophies.

"I can just talk about myself. I started at a lower club and could not win anything. So I went to a club that was a little bit bigger. Thankful to play with Johan Cruyff. Johan Cruyff said to me, 'Ruud, if you make the decision to leave, there's going to be paraphernalia because the fans will not be happy because you are a good player.'

"But you have to think about yourself. So I did. I went to PSV Eindhoven, the fans didn't like it. I won two trophies, and then I went to Milan.

"PSV fans don't like it, but you want to win trophies. After your career is all about what you have on your CV."