England newcomer Tom Hartley hopes the fairytale finish to his Test debut persuades India to “put a bit more respect on my name”.

The left-arm spinner, who was fast-tracked into the side after just 20 first-class games, played a starring role in a famous win at Hyderabad with second-innings figures of seven for 62.

That capped an emphatic shift in fortunes for the 24-year-old, who had earlier suffered a nightmare start when Yashasvi Jaiswal clubbed a solid first delivery in Test cricket for six.

More of the same followed just three balls later and his initial nine-over spell came at a princely cost of 63. While some may have been concerned over his readiness for the big stage, there was nothing but support from his team-mates.

He went on to pay that back quicker and more dramatically than anybody could possibly have anticipated and now travels to Visakhapatnam with a spring in his step and a point proven.

“I was so nervous that first day…so to come and out in the fourth innings and do what I did, hopefully they can put a bit more respect on my name and go forward from there,” he told BBC Sport.

“I’ve been hit for a lot of sixes in my career, so I don’t let these things get on top of me. It was more frustration of ‘why me? why am I getting picked on?’.

“The background that I’ve had is to not let yourself get down. I just want to be a fighter and throw some punches back.”

Hartley explained how his grounding in limited-overs cricket, including as an opening option for Manchester Originals in the Hundred, allowed him to compartmentalise his brutal welcome from Jaiswal.

“He’s not the first and he won’t be the last,” he told reporters.

“You look at the first ball and it wasn’t a bad ball. If that’s the way they want to play you’ve just got to play with it.

“Thankfully I’ve had this white-ball background and, even playing in the Championship this past year, lads have come after me. You’ve just got to accept it. I’m fine with it if people want to come after me.”

Hartley, whose local club Ormskirk CC opened up to offer free drinks to members in honour of his achievement on Sunday, progressed from relative unknown to marked man at breakneck speed.

How India choose to combat him in the second Test promises to be an intriguing sub-plot but one thing he knows he can rely on is the full backing of captain Ben Stokes.

The England skipper won plaudits for the way he kept his rookie involved after his difficult introduction, publicly showing his faith where others might have taken defensive measures.

“The confidence that he has, the way he just builds you up, there’s no negative thoughts,” said Hartley.

“After that first innings it was real tough for us and, personally, I didn’t bowl the way I really wanted to. But it’s all positive, if you’ve not bowled great it’s, ‘Right, what can we do better in the second innings?’ He brings so much confidence and life to this team.”

While Hartley’s stock has never been higher, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to his Lancashire prospects next season. The Red Rose have signed Australia’s Nathan Lyon on an overseas deal for 2024, with the off-spinner expected to be available for the majority of the season.

England would be disappointed if that hinders the progress of their latest find but the man himself has a better idea.

“I highly doubt (Lyon will miss out) so I hope we’re playing together, that would be fantastic,” he said.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui insisted there can be no slip-ups from his side at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 1976 champions finished top of their group with wins over Tanzania and Zambia either side of a draw against DR Congo to set up a last-16 clash against South Africa in San Pedro on Tuesday.

South Africa prevailed 2-1 when the teams met in the tournament qualifier in June so Regragui is taking nothing for granted.

“It’s a knockout match, it’s a change of competition, we can’t afford to make any mistake,” Regragui said in quotes on the tournament website. “We’ve done well so far, but we want to do better.

“We have a lot of respect for South Africa. They were the last team to beat us on the continent. We’re not in a favourable position, which is why I’m insisting on my group’s humility.”

Sofiane Boufal is likely to miss the rest of the tournament with a muscular problem while Hakim Ziyech is struggling with an ankle knock.

“The medical staff and I are doing everything we can to get him back on the pitch,” Regragui added. “If we have to take a risk with him, we’ll take it.”

South Africa bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to Mali in the tournament opener to beat Namibia 4-0 and hold Tunisia to a goalless draw to finish second in their group.

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said: “We already beat Morocco a year ago and we can do it again. Anything is possible and we want to create another surprise in this competition.

“We’re confident, we believe in ourselves and in what we can do. I think we’ll have to go into this match with the same frame of mind we’ve had recently, but I want us to be at a very high level.”

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle reportedly avoided a serious injury but will still be out for several weeks.

There was a fear that a dislocated right shoulder could've sidelined him multiple months, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday he'll likely only miss a few weeks.

Despite the positive news, he'll likely still be sidelined through the All-Star Game on February 18.

The Knicks' first game after the break is against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 22.

Randle dislocated his shoulder in Saturday's 125-109 win over the Miami Heat. He exited with 4:27 to play after appearing to land hard on his right shoulder after colliding with the Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. 

Saturday's win marked the sixth straight victory for the Knicks, who improved to 12-2 this month.

Randle has been instrumental to New York's success, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

The 10-year veteran has yet to miss a game, recording 18 double-doubles and 10 30-point games.

His play has helped the Knicks climb into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and he was likely on his way to earning a third All-Star Game selection.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery insists he wants to keep hold of “very important” Jacob Ramsey  amid speculation over the midfielder’s future.

It has been reported that Villa need to sell before strengthening their squad due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Ramsey, 22, who has been linked with Newcastle, Tottenham and Bayern Munich, is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and remains doubtful for Tuesday night’s home league game against Eddie Howe’s Magpies.

Emery told a press conference: “Jacob Ramsey is a very important player. He grew up in the academy and his progression is getting better.

“His level is increasing a lot and I want to keep him here with us. Of course, there are movements (speculation) around him.

“Maybe there are teams involved in the possibility to sign him because he has a big, big potential at Villa and in England. I want to keep him here, 100 per cent.”

Villa have also been reported to have had a third bid for 21-year-old Middlesbrough striker Morgan Rogers rejected and Emery said: “The club is working hard so some players can leave, then if we can we can add potentially.”

Emery’s side are riding high in fourth place having earned their best-ever points return after 21 Premier League matches, but have won only one of their last four.

They were thumped 5-1 at Newcastle in their opening league game of the season when defender Tyrone Mings sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which has ruled him out since.

“It was tough,” Emery said. “Not only the result, but we can remember the moment Tyrone got injured and that was difficult.

“We analysed, we worked and are trying to improve. We will respect them like they deserve – and we are ready.”

Villa’ last three fixtures have been on the road and they return to action at Villa Park, where they have dropped only two points in 10 games this season, for the first time since the end of December.

Emery added: “We are excited. The last match we played here was one month ago so my motivation is very high.”

The Spaniard confirmed Pau Torres (ankle), Lucas Digne (thigh) and Jhon Duran (hamstring) are still out, while Mings and Emi Buendia (knee) remain long-term absentees.

Willie Mullins and Paul Townend continued their sensational run of form with a Monday double at Punchestown.

Even by his own high standards, the Closutton handler has been firing on all cylinders since the turn of the year, with his latest brace meaning he has now trained 39 winners in January.

Stable jockey Townend is enjoy a similar hot streak, with his last 20 rides yielding 14 victories.

It did not take the formidable partnership long to find the target, with Anotherway bolting up in the opening Get Best Odds Guaranteed At Bet Victor Maiden Hurdle.

The five-year-old was the 8-15 favourite despite finishing down the field on his Irish debut at Leopardstown over Christmas and justified his cramped odds with a comfortable 12-length success.

Coral cut Anotherway to 33-1 from 100-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, but Mullins indicated he could well step up in distance if he does make the trip to the Cotswolds.

“He stayed well and galloped well the whole way to the line, but his jumping left a lot to be desired and he has to improve on that,” said the champion trainer.

“Maybe it was the heavy ground today because he jumped much better in Leopardstown the last day. I’m disappointed with his jumping but at least he did what he was showing us at home today.

“Looking at that performance he might be more of a Ballymore (Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) horse.”

Mullins and Townend doubled up in the Group Ticket Deal At Festival 2024 (C & G) Maiden Hurdle with the similarly promising Billericay Dickie (8-11 favourite).

Another recruit from the French Flat scene, the five-year-old cruised to the front under a motionless Townend before kicking 11 lengths clear.

Mullins added: “I was delighted with that. I didn’t think he’d go on that ground, but Paul said he handled it well.

“For a maiden I thought he jumped very well and he could go wherever he wants.

“We’ll look at a novice hurdle somewhere and we’ll see if Paul thinks he’s good enough for a race across the water (at Cheltenham). I’d like to get another run into him before we go there, if we go there.

“That was two and a half, he’s by New Bay and his dam won on the Flat over a mile and a quarter. I wouldn’t be going three miles with him, but he could stick around that trip or two-six.

“I might get another novice in him and then decide if he’s good enough to go.”

Bioluminescence was another winning odds-on favourite in the Download The Bet Victor App Mares Maiden Hurdle, landing odds of 4-7 for trainer Gavin Cromwell, jockey Mark Walsh and owner JP McManus.

Cromwell said: “She’s a three-mile chaser in the making, she ploughed through that ground and it’s nice to get her head in front.”

Martin Brassil’s Built By Ballymore (11-4) was hard at work a long way from home in the Punchestown Members Club From 215 Rated Novice Hurdle, but stuck to his guns to stay in contention and in the end pulled 12 lengths ahead of the chasing pack under JJ Slevin.

“He just handles the muck. He mightn’t quicken up but he just keeps going in it,” said Brassil.

“I felt he might have been put in high enough, but in those conditions he handles it better than most.”

British success stories at the Dublin Racing Festival are few and far between – and virtually non-existent when it comes to Grade One contests. But in 2019 La Bague Au Roi broke the mould, as she lifted the roof off the Leopardstown grandstand.

Many had questioned the sanity of trainer Warren Greatrex when fresh from holding off the likes of Topofthegame and Santini in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, he suggested heading into the backyard of the Irish rather than trotting down the typical pathway of the Cheltenham Festival.

However, the Lambourn handler had a plan and whereas the undulations of Prestbury Park were never going to be La Bague Au Roi’s ideal cup of tea, the parkland on the outskirts of the Irish capital were seen as the ideal ballpark for the star mare to double her Grade One tally.

“She won the Kauto Star and it was just thinking outside the box really,” said Greatrex.

“We knew historically the ground wasn’t always too bad there and she never really coped with bottomless ground, so it was just the case of a little plan hatched after Kempton and the owners were very sporting and willing to give it a go.

“There was a lot of pressure and a lot of people were thinking I was mad to take an English mare over to a Grade One in Ireland. But I thought the track and ground would suit and Richard Johnson had won the Irish Gold Cup on Florida Pearl so he knew the track inside out.

“I never thought Cheltenham would be her gig, she was fancied the year after and ended up unseating Richard Johnson in the Plate when I thought she would have taken some beating.

“Sometimes thinking outside the box pays off and it pays off to be a little bit braver, which is what sport is all about I think.”

Crossing the Irish Sea unbeaten in three over fences, La Bague Au Roi had every right to be among the favourites for the Flogas Novice Chase.

And when top Irish novice Delta Work was pulled out of the contest by trainer Gordon Elliott, she became the odds-on 10-11 favourite for an away game, leaving her trainer with some last-minute jitters to contend with,

“Delta Work was pulled out in the morning which meant she was a very short-priced favourite. As a trainer you like to see that, but obviously the pressure is then even bigger,” said Greatrex.

“To go over there, which is pretty unusual for the English to go over with a fancied horse, you are sort of panicking. You believe in the horse, but you are panicking and thinking ‘Is this the right thing to do?’.”

If the nerves were beginning to get to Greatrex, then no one informed big-race pilot Johnson, who bounced La Bague Au Roi out in customary fashion and began to put the best of Ireland’s novice chasers to the sword.

Having dictated terms throughout the time came to stamp her authority when challenged by 33-1 outsider Kaiser Black after the last and she displayed toughness in abundance to repel her only danger close home.

It remains the only British triumph in a Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival and for all the big-race victories Greatrex has won in his training career, it is a day that will live long in the memory.

“There’s a picture I have of her at the last and Richard asked her from miles away and she delivered,” continued Greatrex.

“When you see the picture it’s fairly scary how far she was standing off it and she was all heart and never gave up.

“The Leopardstown win was big. I believed in her and I have to say – and I’ve trained a few Grade Ones – that was one I really enjoyed because to go to Ireland and beat them at their own back door is pretty cool. That win was a big feather in our cap, I think”

La Bague Au Roi would return to Leopardstown the following year to finish a battling fifth in the Irish Gold Cup, but no one can ever take that glorious afternoon from 12 months previous away from her.

It was the final triumph in a 28-race career that yielded 14 victories across the space of six seasons and she is now under the watch of former Premier League and Ireland international footballer Kevin Doyle at his family’s Slaney River Stud in County Wexford.

Always keen to hear about one of his star pupils, Greatrex keeps in contact with those in Ireland who report she shows the same character in retirement as she did when one of the leading lights on the racecourse.

Greatrex added: “I’ve been told that in the paddock she is the boss and she was very much like that here. Everyone knew when she was about as she would walk around Lambourn like she owned it.

“She was an amazing mare and won two Grade Ones and I hope somewhere down the line I can train one of her offspring.

“She was just so straightforward, she never missed a day and you could read her like a book. The more annoying she became, you knew you were having her ready.

“She just went through the grades and was phenomenal. She was like a model to look at, she was tall and leggy, never carried too much condition, but she was just very easy to train and just a brilliant horse to train.

He went on: “You would never look at her at home and think she was exceptional, she went through the motions and wasn’t very fast, but she had a big heart.

“Even when she ran in the Kauto Star, the way she fended them off, she was as tough as a boy and will live long in the memory. They only come around once every so often and she was a one-off I think.”

David Christie classes Ferns Lock as the best horse he will send to the Cheltenham Festival as he eyes up the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase.

Christie saw Winged Leader edged out by Billaway in 2022, while last year he saddled 9-4 favourite Vaucelet to finish seventh in the amateurs’ contest.

However, the exciting Ferns Lock has always looked a class above his contemporaries and having claimed Thurles’ Carey Glass Hunters Chase at a canter for the second year running, he is now poised to be unleashed at Prestbury Park on the final day of the Festival.

“It looks like Cheltenham is the way to go,” said Christie.

“I would probably be in agreement with Ruby Walsh and a few other people in that Aintree would maybe be more his cup of tea because he has so much class and speed, but saying that, you can’t really not go to Cheltenham.

“We’ve been patient and we may as well give it a go and see what it brings us.

“He’s a really exciting horse and has lots of pace. If you were to run him in handicaps or even Graded races then you would be wanting to run him over two and a half miles or even shorter. He’s exciting and his half-brother won a bumper for Ben Pauling at Newbury, so the family have that speed and class about them.”

Ferns Lock was high-up in the ante-post betting 12 months ago when Christie decided to take a patient approach with his young and inexperienced charge.

He swerved the Festival in favour of assignments closer to home then and although set to get his passport stamped this time around and as short as 5-2 with Sky Bet, his handler still has slight concerns about his maturity for a task as mammoth as National Hunt’s showpiece meeting.

“He’s a big horse, but he’s a very immature horse in his head and we probably in an ideal world would like to get another race into him before Cheltenham,” added Christie.

“We are wary with younger and immature horses that no matter how easy he won (at Thurles), he still has to run three miles and carry 12st on his back over fences on soft enough ground. So I’ll have to just leave it and train him for Cheltenham now but the worry is his immaturity a little bit.”

There is little doubt where Ferns Lock stands in Christie’s pecking order though, with the County Fermanagh trainer describing the seven-year-old as “just a better horse” than those he has travelled to Cheltenham in the past.

He said: “Winged Leader was just beaten there and Vaucelet loves really good ground and has won plenty of hunter chases. He was actually sick at Cheltenham and we didn’t realise until we got back home. He was beaten 10 lengths but he was sick and we didn’t know and then the travelling and that brought these things out.

“But even when you take that into account, this is still a better horse than Winged Leader and Vaucelet. He’s just a better horse. If you asked me to put them 1-2-3, then he would be the best.”

Preparing his string this winter in the west of Ireland has proved tricky for Christie, but if an upturn in the weather can revitalise Vaucelet, he could be handed a second bite of the Festival cherry, with former Willie Mullins inmate Ramillies another on track for the Cotswolds.

“It’s been such a horrendous year in terms of ground and weather and for someone like me who trains in one of the most westerly spots in Ireland, you can’t underestimate how difficult a year that makes it,” explained Christie.

“Vaucelet is a spring horse and as the days get longer and everything else, if there is a bit of a spark between now and Cheltenham, then I would definitely consider him.

“The other horse who will run, all being well, is the ex-Willie Mullins horse, Ramillies. He’s just turned nine and I’m basically keeping him fit point-to-pointing and doing very little with him at home – that is his work.

“He’s getting his confidence in the point-to-points and we will aim for Naas on February 10 and if all goes well there, then we will go to Cheltenham.”

He went on: “You can go with a couple of nice horses, but it is difficult to win at Cheltenham and you need so many things to go your way.

“There’s plenty of us in Ireland who have good horses, but you have to have plenty of respect for the likes of Will Biddick and Bradley Gibbs, who won it last year, because they are just good at what they do and they deserve what they get. It’s OK me saying I have a nice horse, but they do too and they know how to train as well.”

Galopin Des Champs remains on course to spearhead what is sure to be a formidable team for Willie Mullins into battle at this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.

The reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bounced back to his best with a scintillating performance in Leopardstown’s Savills Chase over Christmas period and will be short odds to follow up with a successful defence of the Irish Gold Cup at the Foxrock circuit on Saturday.

Following six winners across three meetings in Britain and Ireland on Saturday, a Sunday treble at Naas and two more victories at Punchestown on Monday, the champion trainer is firing on all cylinders ahead of a high-profile meeting he traditionally dominates.

And with Galopin Des Champs set to be joined by the likes of State Man, El Fabiolo and a whole host of promising novices, another Mullins bonanza could be in store.

“Everything is going well and at the moment everything is on song, unless something works bad during the week,” he said.

“He (Galopin Des Champs) is all set for it and he’s going to work tomorrow or the next day.

“We’re happy, there is no reason that we’re not happy at the moment – we’re very happy with him.

“They are getting enough rain up there. I think they got plenty today and there is more forecast, it was probably needed.”

Luton captain Tom Lockyer had an emotional reunion with his team-mates at the club’s training ground on Monday.

The 29-year-old made his first visit to the Hatters’ Brache HQ since suffering a cardiac arrest during the Premier League match at Bournemouth in December.

“It was amazing to see him back,” manager Rob Edwards told the club website.

“We had a really good morning seeing him around the place.

“We handed out the debut Premier League balls with (former managers) John Still and Mick Harford.

“It was a nice presentation; it was a special moment and great to see.

Lockyer receives treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest (Steven Paston/PA)

“I managed to hold it together but it was emotional. It’s been a really difficult time for his family first and foremost, but for us it was great to see him.

“He’s an unbelievably brave man and someone who has an unbelievable handle over all of it. I wouldn’t be how he is.

“He’s such an impressive and focused person. There’s a rehabilitation process but he’s taking it slowly, he’s got a baby on the way and that’s his main focus.”

Wales defender Lockyer collapsed on the pitch at the Vitality Stadium and was tended to by medics. The match was subsequently abandoned.

Lockyer later praised the “heroic” actions of the players, staff and medics who helped save his life.

Roberto De Zerbi believes in-form Brighton top scorer Joao Pedro must sustain performances over 90 minutes to take the final step in becoming a “great, great player”.

Brazilian forward Pedro increased his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions with a hat-trick during Saturday’s 5-2 FA Cup win at Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old – a £30million summer signing from Watford – opened his Albion account on the first weekend of the campaign in a 4-1 victory at home to Tuesday evening’s Premier League opponents Luton.

“Joao Pedro’s DNA is of a top player,” said Brighton boss De Zerbi.

“The target of Joao is to play better and better and to keep this mentality because now he’s showing a great mentality, a mentality he needs and we need.

“He’s becoming amazing as a striker because his quality to play in ball possession, to play in between the lines, to make assists were important but in terms of goals, he’s improving a lot.

“The last step to become a great, great player is to play 90 minutes in the same way.

“Sometimes he starts the game not pushing off his best and I would like at the beginning of the game until the end of the game the same mentality.”

Pedro is likely to receive a hostile reception from Luton fans due to his Watford connections.

De Zerbi feels Kenilworth Road is one of the most challenging places to go in the top flight.

The relegation-threatened Hatters have beaten Newcastle and drawn with Liverpool on home soil this term, in addition to suffering single-goal defeats to Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

“Playing in the Luton stadium is one of the toughest games in the Premier League because they have a great intensity,” said De Zerbi.

“People think Brighton have to win and it’s normal if Brighton win in Luton but in football there are no easy games and if you want to win you have to push until the end.

“Arsenal and Man City, they won a game at the end of the game and I watched both games and they were very, very difficult games for both teams.”

Seventh-placed Brighton have been linked with a move for Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before the transfer window closes.

De Zerbi, who has a close relationship with Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, says Dewsbury-Hall has “great quality” but was tight-lipped on the speculation.

“I don’t know anything about him (personally); I know him as a player,” the Italian said of the 25-year-old.

“He has great quality but it’s not my business speaking about other players, especially because Enzo Maresca is my friend and I want to be correct with him.”

Brighton remain without Joel Veltman, Solly March, Simon Adingra, Kaoru Mitoma, Julio Enciso and Ansu Fati.

Barcelona loanee Fati has returned to training following an injury sustained in November but will not be rushed back into first-team action.

“He’s a risk and he’s important for us in the second part of the season,” said De Zerbi.

“We can’t take any risks in this moment.”