Caribbean, but Antigua is usually one of the drier islands.Stats

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Tuesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- RALEIGH, N.C. -- Could the NCAAs decision to pull championship events from North Carolina finally force state Republican leaders to rethink their support for a state law that discriminates against the LGBT community? Unlike the NBA and various artists canceling one-time events, the NCAAs decision could reverberate for years across the state, force the ACC to pull its championship games and give moderate and conservative voters a reason to question if the price the state is paying has finally become too high.- This has been the life of an Ethiopian marathon runner since he made an anti-government gesture at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics: Traveling from country to country for fear of a return home. Constant worry for his family who remained behind. Still, its a stand Feyisa Lilesa felt he had to make.- SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers opened the Chip Kelly era with a bang, beating the Los Angeles Rams 28-0.- PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers offense looked just as good as advertised in a 38-16 dusting of Washington. A sterner test awaits Sunday when AFC North rival Cincinnati visits Heinz Field in the first meeting since Pittsburghs testy and controversial playoff win nine months ago.- TORONTO -- Josh Donaldson could be back at third base for Toronto, a day after he was out of the lineup and both benches and bullpens cleared after the Blue Jays wrapped up a 3-2 win. Marcus Stroman (9-7) starts for Toronto against lefty Drew Smyly (6-11). Game starts 7:07 p.m.- WASHINGTON -- The NL East-leading Washington Nationals host the New York Mets, who are in tight race with St. Louis and San Francisco for two NL wild cards. The Mets send ace Noah Syndergaard (13-8) to the mound, while A.J. Cole (1-2) goes for the Nationals. Game starts 7:05 p.m.- NEW YORK -- In a matchup of left-handers, 20-year-old rookie Julio Urias (5-2) starts for the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers against veteran CC Sabathia (8-12) and the AL wild-card chasing New York Yankees. Game starts 7:05 p.m.- WASHINGTON -- The United States plays its final exhibition game before the World Cup of Hockey against Finland. Coach John Tortorella wants to use the game to iron out some problems, big and small, before the World Cup begins Saturday in Toronto. Game starts 7 p.m.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- Theres more money in the Paralympic Games, younger athletes and better training and equipment. Paralympic officials believe the sport is largely clean, but there are ways athletes try for an edge: gaming a complicated classification system, doping and something called boosting.Custom Senators T-shirts . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Frank Finnigan Jersey Large . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. http://www.customsenatorsjersey.com/ . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Wholesale Custom Senators Shirts . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Cheap Senators Jerseys .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker.Match factsJuly 21-25, 2016 Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)Big PictureAjinkya Rahane has said it will be the key. R Ashwin has said this series will be all about it. West Indies coach Phil Simmons has said his side will harp on the word throughout the series. All signs so far point to a test of patience on what have become quintessential slow and low Caribbean pitches.The physicality of winning a Test in the West Indies, no matter how weak the regional Test side might have become, cannot be overstated. The outfields are heavy, which will mean a lot of running. Over the last 10 years, only Zimbabwe and the UAE have produced runs at a slower clip.This is an uneven contest with the best West Indies players not available through problems with the administration and other lucrative options available, the CPL in this case, which will clash with the Test series. As much as for the bowlers and the batsmen, this will be a test for the watching public of the Caribbean islands; many will be choosing between the modern stadiums sans the character of old hosting attritional Test cricket and the CPL matches full of life in the cooler and colourful evenings.If West Indies can manage to make time a factor with good attritional Test cricket, it could be a fascinating series. Make the Indian bowlers earn every wicket, make their batsmen go uneasy in an attempt to give the bowlers enough time, absorb the punches and land one when India leave themselves open in trying too hard. If it works in Antigua, in Jamaica they could even try to blindside India with a green seamer. At a time when West Indies, the World T20 champions, are on the mend in ODIs and have their own T20 party going on, the Test side will need to tell their fans why they should give them their patience.On the other end will be a side looking to break away from its limited ambition of the past. India have claimed they dont want to win series 1-0 anymore. They want to win every Test. Their captain has said he wont entertain tired bowlers in the final sessions of long days. Their new coach is an epitome of relentlessness. They wont be shy of sacrificing a batsman for an allrounder or a bowler in order to claim 20 wickets. From their two warm-up games in St Kitts, they have realised they will have to stretch every sinew to take 20 wickets: batsmen might have to score quicker, and bowlers will have to peg away for long hours.Form guideWest Indies DLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first) ? India WWDWWIn the spotlightMan of World T20 final. Averages 44.69 in ODIs since 2013. Yet Marlon Samuels, the most experienced player in the squad, can be considered lucky to be in the playing party. He has gone 10 Test innings without reaching 20, has scored only two hundreds in the last three years, and has averaged 25.14 in the period. His career average of 33.53 is hardly justification for either his talent or persistence over 64 Tests. If Kemar Roachs dropping is anything to go by, West Indies selectors might be running out of patience and Samuels time. On him and Darren Bravo will rest the biggest responsibility for scoring runs.Im sure Ill have to be as boring as possible in terms of trying to plug away all day long. R Ashwin is not used to being boring. He has already bagged five Man-of-the-series awards in Tests, the joint most by an Indian. He takes a wicket every 52 balls - 46 at home, where he has been at his most effective. He takes a five-for every other Test. If West Indies do manage to hold India off,, Ashwin will have to show he can be boring and persistent and, every once in a while, magical.ddddddddddddTeam newsWest Indies will have one new opener, a new wicketkeeper, a new pace attack and a new spinner from the last time they played a Test. Five men from their last Test XI are not even in this 13-man squad. Expect a debut for Miguel Cummins, Rajendra Chandrika to open alongside Kraigg Brathwaite, and Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel to make comebacks.WestIndies (probable) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Rajendra Chandrika, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jermaine Blackwood/ Leon Johnson/Roston Chase, 6 Carlos Brathwaite, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt.), 9 Shanon Gabriel, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Devendra BishooIndia go in with a much more settled team; seven months since they last played a Test in a different continent. Nobody will bat an eyelid if they retain the XI. Kohli admitted it was a difficult choice to pick one out of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, although he hinted Dhawan might retain his place. With the pitch expected to be flat, India are likely to continue with five bowlers, but the decision will be whether that fifth bowler should be a spinner, a pure seamer or an allrounder. Kohli has been known to prefer Stuart Binny in the role outside India. Mohammed Shami, who has taken the new ball on each of the three occasions that India have bowled in the warm-ups, should walk right back into the XI after injury kept him out for most of 2015.India(probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Stuart Binny, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mohammed ShamiPitch and conditionsThere was some grass on the surface, but it seemed dry underneath on the eve of the match. Kohli felt that the grass was only to hold the pitch together, and it would behave like an Indian track. The ball might not bounce much, with conditions favouring the batsmen initially.There have been brief, sharp showers on the days leading up to the Test, and more rain is forecast for days three and four. Its hurricane season all over the Caribbean, but Antigua is usually one of the drier islands.Stats and triviaIndia have played 27 limited-overs internationals since their last Test, in December last year. West Indies last played a Test in the first week of 2016, but have played only 13 other international matches since then.R Ashwin has 16 five-wicket hauls in his first 32 Tests, level with Clarrie Grimmett among spinners at the end of their 32nd Test.The five bowlers in the West Indies squad have a combined experience of 111 wickets. R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma have taken more by themselves.The Indian squad has scored 40 Test hundreds to West Indies 20.QuotesIm really happy to be back here. The atmosphere is really good, people like cricket, they support it. Im really excited to play a Test match here after so long. So is everyone else in the team. Virat Kohli on returning to West Indies for the Test seriesIts the first time Im involved in a series playing four Tests. I think the name of the game is recovery in between Test matches. Theres not much time either. Its not going to be easy. Its going to be tough for every member of the squad. West Indies captain Jason Holder on the importance of rest and recovery in a four-match Test series ' ' '