He was India captain Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the home T20 series against Afghanistan earlier this year but his place looked under threat as he struggled for runs in the IPL
Barca lose Liga lead after exciting draw at Valencia
Champions Barcelona's domestic strife continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia in an absorbing La Liga game on Sunday, stretching their winless run in Spain's top flight to four games and surrendering top spot to Sevilla.
Published : 7 Oct 2018, 08:58 PM
Updated : 7 Oct 2018, 08:58 PM
The Catalans fell behind in the second minute at a bouncing Mestalla stadium after dreadful defending from a corner allowed Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay to stab home from close range.
Barca continued to leak chances but got a foothold in the game thanks to a superb Lionel Messi strike in the 23rd minute.
They failed to further breach a superbly organised Valencia, however, racking up a run of three draws and a defeat in four league games, their longest stretch without a win since 2016.
Sevilla are top on 16 points while Barca have 15 with Atletico Madrid but are second due to a better goal difference.
RELATED STORIES
The match also witnessed three red cards in stoppage time, with Milan being reduced to nine men as tensions flared
Barcelona, with 70 points after 32 matches, trail leaders Real by 11 points Reuters
The result leaves second-placed Barca 11 points adrift of the leaders with six games remaining
