Ravichandran Ashwin is set to return to the fold for India against England in the third Test in Rajkot.

Ashwin withdrew from the Test just a few hours after taking his 500th wicket in the format on the second day to attend to a family medical emergency with India’s full blessing.

His absence effectively left India down to 10 players as he could only be replaced in the field and not with bat or ball although England’s batting collapse on Saturday meant the hosts gained the upper hand.

But a statement from Jay Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s secretary, confirmed Ashwin would come back at some point on the penultimate day as Rohit Sharma’s side push to go 2-1 up in the series.

“Both R Ashwin and the team management are pleased to confirm that he will be back in action on day four and will continue to contribute towards the team’s cause,” the statement read.

“The team management, players, media and fans have shown immense understanding and empathy, acknowledging the importance of family as a priority.

“The team and its supporters have stood united in support of Ashwin during this challenging period, and the management is delighted to welcome him back to the field.

“Ashwin and his family kindly request privacy as they navigate through these challenging times.”

India pushed their lead to 372 after the first hour of play on day four, with England’s only moment of success arriving directly before the break in play when Shubman Gill was run out by Tom Hartley for 91.

Nightwatcher Kuldeep Yadav should have been leg-before two balls earlier after missing a sweep off slow left-armer Hartley but England elected against using their one remaining review.

Gary Wilson reeled off a brilliant 147 against an outmatched John Higgins as he set up a Welsh Open final with Martin O’Donnell.

O’Donnell booked his first appearance in a ranking final when he held his nerve to see off Elliot Slessor 6-5 in Llandudno, but Wilson will head into Sunday’s showpiece on the crest of a wave after a 6-4 win took him past four-time world champion Higgins.

Wilson had been on the hunt for a maximum break in the first frame but had to settle for 104 as he missed the 14th red at the middle pocket.

He put that right in some style at the very next attempt, clearing the table with expert placement and clinical potting to bring up the fifth 147 of his own career and the 199th overall.

The Scottish Open champion received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Venue Cymru and proceeded to bank the next two frames for a 4-0 lead.

At that stage the 38-year-old looked to be cruising, but a break of 93 in the fifth finally gave the Scot a foothold.

Wilson soon re-established control to go 5-1 ahead but his golden touch deserted him as Higgins put together a run of three in a row to tease an unlikely comeback.

Higgins ran out steam in the 10th frame, with Wilson sealing a 97-4 win on the back of a 73 break.

O’Donnell had earlier survived a nervy finish of his own, going from 5-3 in front to a winner-takes-all decider.

Having previously seen off reigning world champion Luca Brecel in the quarter-final, O’Donnell dug deep to pull off a break of 126 and give himself a shot at a first title.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag does not think a six-match unbeaten run means their season has turned a corner but he believes they are “back in the race” for the top four.

Having won just twice in nine matches and lost five in December, United have now won five and drawn one of their last six.

Last weekend’s victory at Aston Villa was important as it kept them within six points of fourth-placed Tottenham and with games to come against Luton, Fulham, Everton, Sheffield United and Brentford – not withstanding the Manchester derby in that sequence – maintaining that sort of form will push them closer to Champions League qualification.

“First of all I think it is too quick to say we turned a corner. We are not there yet. We are still not in a position,” said Ten Hag.

“We are back in the race but we are not in the position we want to be because this club definitely wants to be a minimum of top four so we have to catch up. But I think we are now in a good direction.”

The priority has to be securing Champions League football again as Ten Hag admits United are not at the level of Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal.

However, he knows taking the next step and re-establishing them as title challengers will take longer due to the investment they have made in young players with potential.

“In the summer I think we were in a very good moment: we were third, winning one final and in another final,” he added.

“Then you choose young players for the future and that has to do with FFP (Financial Fair Play – now Profit and Sustainability), then also you know it will take longer before you can go into the competition for the top position in the Premier League.”

The Dutchman was asked whether, during the toughest parts of the season, he had any doubts he would be able to get back on track a team which finished third last season and reached two cup finals, winning one.

He said: “I was convinced. Once the (injured) players are available then I knew the players have the quality to play for the top four and now we have to prove it. Across the whole season I was convinced of that.”

Contributing to their improvement has been the form of youngsters Alejandro Garnacho, 19, and 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.

Ten Hag admits if they continue their current progress they could end up saving the club millions in the transfer window.

“Manchester United will always be a buying club but I think the club’s history, in its DNA, is to give opportunities to players from the academy,” he added.

“There are players with potential and we have given them the time to develop and progress and we are mentoring them too because we saw their potential was higher.

“We also take into account that they couldn’t bring the levels in that moment but you see when you give them the opportunity they progress so quickly and they bring the team to higher levels in the long term.

“You assess the potential of the player and we were convinced of those players and I think we still have in the back of our squad young players who can make the step, like Kobbie and Garnacho have made in the last couple of months.”

Robert Lewandowski scored an injury-time penalty at the second time of asking as Barcelona secured a nail-biting late win over Celta Vigo to stay in touch with the LaLiga title race.

Lewandowski had already given his side the lead with an emphatic finish on the stroke of half-time but Iago Aspas put his struggling side on course for a draw with a deflected effort soon after the restart.

Lewandowski eventually won it from the spot in the seventh minute of added time, but only after the referee ordered a retake when his first attempt was saved by an encroaching Vicente Guaita. The result leaves them two points behind Girona in second and seven shy of rivals and leaders Real Madrid, having played one game more than both.

At the Metropolitano Stadium, fourth-placed Atletico Madrid ran out 5-0 winners over Las Palmas. Marcos Llorente and Angel Correa scored two apiece and Memphis Depay rounded things out in a one-sided contest.

Osasuna beat Cadiz 2-0 and Sevilla took a goalless draw from Valencia on their visit to the Mestalla.

In Ligue 1, departing Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe found himself left out of the starting XI against Nantes only to step off the bench and bury a penalty.

Having announced his summer departure from PSG, Mbappe had to wait until the 62nd minute to see action but was ready to slot home from the spot to put the finishing touch to a 2-0 win. Lucas Hernandez had earlier put the runaway league leaders ahead on the hour.

Elsewhere, Lille moved back into third on goal difference as hat-trick hero Jonathan David put away Le Havre 3-0.

In Germany, Bundesliga’s relentless leaders Bayer Leverkusen banked another three points with a 2-1 away win at Heidenheim.

Xabi Alonso’s title-chasers have now won seven of their last eight matches, with Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli on target this time. Tim Kleindienst set up some late tension with an 87th-minute reply but the hosts could not force a second.

Third-placed Stuttgart fought for a 2-1 win at bottom club Darmstadt despite Pascal Stenzel’s red card at the end of the first half. They now sit five points above Borussia Dortmund, with the latter held 1-1 at Wolfsburg after substitute Yannick Gerhardt responded to Niclas Fullkrug’s early effort.

RB Leipzig won 2-0 against Borussia Monchengladbach, Union Berlin scored the only goal away to Hoffenheim and strugglers Mainz recorded a 1-0 win over Augsburg.

Juventus’ hopes of chipping away at Inter’s Serie A lead were stifled as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at Verona. Juve twice dragged themselves back from a goal down, Dusan Vlahovic’s penalty and Adrien Rabiot’s second-half strike squaring efforts from Michael Folorunsho and Tijjani Noslin.

A point left Massimiliano Allegri’s men nine points behind the Nerazurri, who have a game in hand.

Napoli’s disappointing season continued to underwhelm as they were held 1-1 at home by Genoa. Morten Frendrup put the away side in front and it was not until the 90th minute that substitute Cyril Ngonge grabbed an equaliser.

Mario Pasalic, Teun Koopmeiners and Mitchel Bakker all found the target as Atalanta strengthened their grip on fourth spot at the expense of Sassuolo.

Dan Cole was given the green light to continue his England career by wife Isobel having decided he did not want to join the contingent of players retiring after the World Cup.

Cole took stock of his Test future after helping England finish third at last autumn’s global showpiece knowing that Courtney Lawes, Jonny May and Ben Youngs had already played their final international games.

The 36-year-old prop has re-established himself in the front row under Steve Borthwick after spending three years in Red Rose exile and is eager to make the most of his time at the top.

“My wife is very understanding that I haven’t got many games left. It was a joint decision,” Cole said.

“She understands that with Steve and the coaches that she knows from Leicester, it is a very good team environment and place to be. I won’t be doing it forever, so enjoy it.”

When asked if the current Six Nations would be his last campaign with England, Cole replied: “I haven’t made up my mind. I haven’t thought about it so far, we’ll see how it goes.

“After the World Cup I thought about everything really. I had a conversation with Steve and he said to me after Courtney had announced his retirement at a press conference ‘are you planning any press conferences or announcements?’.

“I said that ‘I’ve got to speak to my wife and to you Steve because if you’re not going to pick me then I will’. He said that I’d like you to have the option (to play on). I was like fair enough because I owe Steve a lot. And here I am!

“It’s one of those things where you never want to give up, but at the same time you can understand why boys with families do because international rugby is a tough environment to be in. It’s intense.”

Cole will be involved in next Saturday’s visit to Murrayfield where England will be aiming to register a third win of this year’s Six Nations, keeping them on course for the Grand Slam.

The Leicester tighthead’s scrummaging expertise has led to his Test resurgence and he believes the set-piece is more vital than it has ever been.

“Tournament by tournament in international rugby, there are less scrums but they are of higher importance, which is why teams don’t want to give an inch there,” Cole said.

“You have seen in the first couple of weeks of the Six Nations they can sometimes be a bit messy and slow.

“I know the reaction to that over the first couple of weeks of the Six Nations hasn’t been great, but obviously it can be a massive turning point in the game.

“It’s tough because it’s so important and every scrum is heightened. You are playing international rugby and so you are not going to be playing against any mugs, everyone knows what they’re doing and everyone is good.”

Pep Guardiola refused to blame Erling Haaland for wasting chances after Manchester City were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Chelsea on Saturday.

The normally prolific Haaland spurned a number of opportunities, including one glaring free header from six yards out, as the champions were held in a compelling Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

City ultimately needed an 83rd-minute equaliser from Rodri to rescue a point after their former forward Raheem Sterling had put the Londoners on course for an unexpected win with a 43rd-minute effort.

City manager Guardiola said: “It’s good to have nine shots and next time he’s going to score.

“I was a football player for 11 years and scored 11 goals. What stats! One goal a season. I’m not a proper man to give advice to strikers.

“We create the chances; he had the chances and next time he’s going to score. I don’t blame him. It’s football, it’s human beings.”

Haaland looked frustrated at the end of the game and pushed away a TV camera, but it has been a difficult week for the Norway international after the death of his grandmother.

The result left City four points off the top of the table in third place, after title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal won earlier in the day.

City dominated the second half, but Guardiola felt they paid the price for a poor first-half display.

Guardiola said: “As a team and a group, the first half was not like we are.

“The demands are so high because no-one is going to give it to us, we have to do everything. We are Man City, so we have to do it for ourselves all the time.

“We had to improve the first half and the second half was unbelievable, how we played and how we made transitions.

“In general, it was really good after we conceded from Raheem but when we play teams with composure and prestige of Chelsea you have to perform at your best for 95 minutes.”

Chelsea’s season has been one of inconsistency, but manager Mauricio Pochettino felt they showed their true character against strong opposition.

Pochettino said: “We tried to prepare, all the coaching staff, to make the plan for the game but football is always a game that belongs to the players and today the execution and the performance was from them. They showed character.

“It was a really important game for us to keep the momentum to realise we are in a good way and improving.

“Still we are not at the level of Man City but that is our aim.

“We need to live this type of game to improve and to create the spirit we need. We show in every single game we want to be competitive.”

Robert Lewandowski snatched a dramatic late victory for Barcelona at Celta Vigo, converting a retaken penalty deep in injury-time for a 2-1 win.

The Catalan giants were on course for a second straight draw after old foe Iago Aspas cancelled out Lewandowksi’s first goal with a deflected effort just after half-time, his 200th career strike.

But with almost 97 minutes on the clock, the tension ramped up as the veteran striker stood over a last-gasp spot-kick and missed.

Lewandowski held his head in his hands but was offered a lifeline when the referee judged that goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had stepped off his line and ordered it to be taken again.

Unfazed, the 35-year-old repeated the same stuttering run-up as before and slotted it home to secure the points for his side and his 50th goal in Barca colours.

It was a much-needed result for Xavi’s men, who have endured a difficult campaign and would have been disappointed to let another result slip through their fingers after being held 3-3 by Granada last time out.

For Celta it was a harsh blow, denying them a hard-earned share of the spoils and leaving them just three points above the relegation zone.

Barca dominated the ball in the first half, but struggled to generate clearcut chances to make the possession count. Lamine Yamal was first to try his luck but could not beat Guaita, while Joao Cancelo screwed a shot wide.

Despite Aspas’ best efforts the hosts were unable to find a foothold and kept absorbing pressure, Andreas Christensen heading wide at a corner and and Ronald Araujo failing to get an effort away.

The dam broke with the interval approaching, Jules Kounde feeding the ball upfield and Yamal playing in Lewandowksi from the wing. The Poland star’s first touch was an instinctive flick off the outside of the boot, taking the ball away from his marker in an instant, and his second was a rifled finish from the edge of the penalty area.

That should have settled Barca but instead they held their lead less than two minutes after the restart. It was Celta’s smoothest move of the match, Jorgen Strand Larsen and and Oscar Mingueza both producing back-heeled touches to play in Aspas as he ran through on goal.

His shot left Marc-Andre ter Stegan with no chance, but only after a hefty deflection off Kounde. Aspas has been a nuisance for Barcelona’s teams for over a decade and took his tally against them to 11 goals in 19 games.

The 36-year-old looked to have settled the draw, with substitutes Raphina and Ilkay Gundogan unable to rally a winner for the visitors and Carl Starfelt marshalling a solid defensive response.

Added time was already well under way when Fran Beltran fouled Yamal in the box, ushering in the penalty drama that offered Lewandowski two bites at the cherry from 12 yards.

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of Paris St Germain’s starting line-up for Saturday night’s Ligue 1 fixture at Nantes.

Mbappe told the French club on Friday of his intention to leave them at the end of the season when his contract expires.

There has been mounting speculation that the 25-year-old will join Real Madrid in the summer.

Mbappe, who started and scored in PSG’s 2-0 win against Real Sociedad in Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 tie, was in dispute with his club over his contract last summer.

The France forward refused to sign a one-year extension clause and was subsequently exiled from the first-team squad, and left out of their pre-season tour to Asia.

Kylian Mbappe stepped off the bench to convert a penalty as Paris St Germain won 2-0 at Nantes to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 14 points.

Mbappe, who told PSG on Friday of his intention to leave in the summer when his contract expires, struck his 21st league goal of the season from the spot after Lucas Hernandez had given his side a second-half lead.

Amid mounting speculation that Mbappe will join Real Madrid in time for next season, the 25-year-old, along with Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, were left out of Luis Enrique’s starting line-up.

Mbappe, who started and scored in PSG’s 2-0 win against Real Sociedad in Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 tie, was in dispute with his club over his contract last summer.

The France forward refused to sign a one-year extension clause and was subsequently exiled from the first-team squad, and left out of their pre-season tour to Asia.

But he was all smiles with boss Enrique as he waited to enter the action at the Stade de la Beaujoire just after Hernandez had broken the deadlock, and was handed the captain’s armband after going on.

At the end of a first half of few clear-cut chances, Nantes twice went close and had a goal ruled out for offside.

Hernandez’s last-ditch tackle thwarted Douglas Augusto and was deemed legitimate by VAR before Marquinhos blocked Nicolas Cozza’s shot after Gianluigi Donnarumma had saved Mostafa Mohamed’s effort.

Nantes thought they had broken the deadlock when defender Nicolas Pallois turned home a corner, but his effort was ruled out by the referee assistant’s flag.

Pallois’ dipping 30-yard volley was comfortably saved by Donnarumma early in the second half and PSG took the lead on the hour-mark through Hernandez’s deflected shot.

Mbappe, Dembele and Hakimi were all sent on by Enrique straight after Hernandez’s opener and the visitors put the result beyond Nantes with 12 minutes remaining.

Augusto tripped Mbappe in the penalty area and the France forward picked himself up to slam home the spot kick for his 26th goal in 28 appearances for his club in all competitions this season.

Nantes went close to a late consolation goal when Donnarumma pushed substitute Moses Simon’s effort on to a post as PSG extended their unbeaten league run to 17 matches.

Juventus continued to lose ground in their pursuit of Serie A leaders Inter Milan after a 2-2 draw with struggling Verona registered a fourth match without a win.

They had to come from behind twice to take a point that leaves them nine points adrift of their rivals and they should have done better with several late chances.

Verona made the brighter start and they were rewarded with a stunning strike by Michael Folorunsho in the 12th minute.

Tomas Suslov’s corner was headed clear by Adrien Rabiot but the ball only reached Folorunsho just outside the area and the Italian midfielder let rip with a screaming volley off his left foot.

The shot flew into the top left corner, giving Wojciech Szczesny no chance of making a save.

Juventus clawed their way level from the penalty spot with Dusan Vlahovic converting after VAR showed Jackson Tchatchoua had handled the ball, referee Marco Di Bello initially believing the ball had deflected off his knee.

Despite the equaliser, Verona were still in control as they went about their work with greater intent.

Their second goal arrived eight minutes after the interval, Tijjani Noslin showing composure and athleticism to steer the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

But Verona’s defence then imploded as they allowed Juventus to work the ball to an unmarked Rabiot, who had the time and space to pick his shot and pull the trigger.

Darko Lazovic forced a sharp save by Szczęsny before drama unfolded in the other goal when Rabiot’s cross with the outside of his foot was met by Vlahovic but the Serbian’s header was off-target.

It was a poor miss by Vlahovic and, as the match entered the final 10 minutes, substitute Federico Chiesa blazed a reasonable chance over the crossbar.

Juventus had one more opportunity to take all three points in injury-time but a well worked move ended with Chiesa prodding the ball wide.

It means Inter have a firm grip on the title race with a game in hand on Juve, while AC Milan can take second place from Massimiliano Allegri’s men with a victory at Monza on Sunday.

Rodri struck a late equaliser as champions Manchester City were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in a compelling Premier League clash with Chelsea.

Raheem Sterling stunned his former club when he fired the visitors into the lead just before half-time in a fiercely-contested encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.

Yet City, needing to respond to the victories of title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal earlier the day, fought back and created a succession of chances before Rodri finally found the net after 83 minutes.

His powerful effort was greeted with much relief around the stadium including, presumably, by team-mate Erling Haaland after a glaring miss.

There was still time for further drama with a stoppage-time penalty check for handball against Levi Colwill but nothing was given.

Despite City’s rescue act, the result nevertheless ended their 11-game winning run in all competitions and left Pep Guardiola’s side third in the table, four points off the top.

Despite heavy rain, City started brightly with Julian Alvarez twice threatening but Chelsea also looked dangerous and Conor Gallagher opened up the home defence before misplacing his pass.

Haaland headed hit first chance of the night wide before Sterling let City off the hook when he shot tamely at Ederson after beating Manuel Akanji.

Chelsea went close again when Gallagher picked out another ex-City man in Cole Palmer in the box but Nathan Ake denied him with a fine challenge.

The visitors squandered a better chance when Malo Gusto raced onto a Palmer ball and sent Nicolas Jackson through on goal but a poor touch allowed Ederson to claim at his feet.

It seemed Chelsea might have been made to pay for those misses as Jeremy Doku created an opportunity but he fired straight at Djordje Petrovic.

The Londoners finally made a chance count three minutes before the interval as Palmer released Jackson with a simple ball and he picked out Sterling in front of goal.

The former City forward still had much to do as Kyle Walker closed in but he wrong-footed the full-back with a cut-back and then curled confidently past Ederson.

His celebration was muted but he had done enough to prod City into life and Haaland should have scored as Chelsea struggled to clear a corner but headed over.

The hosts began the second period strongly as Kevin De Bruyne shot narrowly over from a free-kick and Haaland volleyed wide following a quick counter-attack.

Walker also wanted a penalty after tangling with Sterling but referee Andrew Madley awarded a foul in the opposite direction.

Chelsea seemed certain to double their lead when Gusto swept in a superb ball for Sterling to meet with a powerful first-time shot but Ederson saved brilliantly with his foot at point-blank range.

City stepped up the pressure with Foden and Haaland both having shots blocked before Rodri blasted over.

Haaland forced a good save from Petrovic and then wasted a glorious chance when he headed over from six yards from a pinpoint De Bruyne cross.

Chelsea’s resistance was eventually broken seven minutes from time when a Walker shot rebounded into the path of Rodri and the Champions League final match-winner thundered in an equaliser with the aid of a deflection.

The closing stages were frantic but Chelsea held on despite a nervy moment when VAR checked for handball against Colwill.

Burton boss Martin Paterson felt his half-time team talk paid off in the 2-1 win at Leyton Orient.

The Brewers had trailed to a George Moncur penalty before the break, but Mason Bennett and Aristote Nsiala made Orient pay for two defensive mistakes to secure all three points in their first visit to Brisbane Road.

It was the second successive win on the road for the visitors, who moved six points clear of the League One relegation zone.

“I spoke to the players at half-time and I think that was the difference because they (Orient) led at half-time but didn’t have a clear-cut chance and only scored from the penalty which was a poor piece of defending,” Paterson said.

“We knew Orient are a really good team that are possession based so we set up a certain way. However within that, I was disappointed we didn’t see the triggers at certain times so sometimes players need education, help and encouragement.

“I’ll be positive about Orient because they have a clear identity but I knew if we could stay in the game and tweak things tactically with our substitutions, we could get something.

“They shaded it first half but second we definitely did, so I’m delighted with the result.

“My job is to keep encouraging, build the confidence. The non negotiables in terms of effort are there for all to see. It’s a group that wins the games not individuals.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens felt his side dropped their levels after the break.

He said: “I think they’ve had three shots on target and they’ve scored from two of them. In the last two home games the opposition have scored five goals and we’ve only faced six shots after we’ve dominated possession.

“I think the performance first half was excellent and we could have been two or three-nil up. Maybe we could have moved the ball quicker, but we were playing against a team who came here to defend and sit back.

“We were passing along the back and we wasn’t clever enough and went safe and played to the full-back and we can’t play like that.

“Fair play to Burton as they stayed in the game and got a smash and grab. We haven’t got the squad to push. We still have a small opportunity but this 10 per cent drop off is huge for us.”

“Second half right from the kick-off we went backwards to our goalkeeper who slips and had to do a Cryuff turn to get out of trouble. It was far too slow. Then we went long ball time and time again and we didn’t squeeze.”