Here we give you a roundup of the week's action and what to expect in the weekend to come
Cricket
The Indian cricket team finally set foot outside the subcontinent as it prepares to play South Africa in a Test series away from home. Virat Kohli's team are unbeaten in 16 consecutive series so far and could extend that, but it will not be easy.
The Proteas could give the Indians a stiff challenge on its pace-friendly pitches. Though the fiery Dale Steyn has made a comeback from a long-term injury, he could figure in the series alongside Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada to trouble the famed Indian batting lineup.
In response, India will, perhaps for the first time in a long while, have a fairly potent bowling unit to match the hosts with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav in top form. Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out because of viral fever.
Even if India lose the series 3-0, they will retain top position in the ICC Test rankings.
The three-Test series begins on January 5 and will be followed by six ODIs and three T20s.
Football
It has been a record-breaking week in English football. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger broke Sir Alex Ferguson's record of managing 810 Premier League games, and now has 812 to his name, albeit without the kind of success tasted by Sir Alex.
Manchester City's 18-match winning streak in the Premier League may have ended with a draw against Crystal Palace, but the team is now on a 30-match unbeaten run in the league after beating Watford 3-1. At this rate, Arsenal's 49-game record in 2003-2004 doesn't look all that hard for the Citizens.
The other record we had was Virgil van Dijk's transfer from Southampton to Liverpool for a reported £75 million, making him the most expensive defender in the world. Kyle Walker and David Luiz had held the record earlier for their £50 million moves to Manchester City and PSG, respectively.
Meanwhile, Arsenal drew with London rivals Chelsea 2-2 during the midweek. Jack Wilshere opened the scoring with his first PL goal in two years, before Hazard was awarded a very soft penalty to equalise. Marcos Alonso took the lead for Chelsea but Hector Bellerin slammed one in in stoppage time to level scores.
Arsenal seems to be giving its fans a lot of entertaining football these days, especially after that 3-3 draw against Liverpool two weeks back.
Back in India, 2018 got off to a bad start for its domestic football. It began with Kerala Blasters dismissing head coach Rene Muelensteen, before Sanjoy Sen left Mohun Bagan on the same day. Both teams were runners-up last year in the ISL and I-League, but have been performing poorly this time.
Former English goalkeeper David James marked a return to the ISL when Kerala Blasters, with whom he played and coached in the first season, announced that he will take over as coach.
To add to that, NorthEast United FC dismissed their coach Joao Deus as well and announced that former Chelsea coach Avram Grant of Israel was appointed as the club's new technical adviser.
Chess
Viswanathan Anand ended a long barren run when he won the World Rapid Chess Championship in Riyadh. He defeated Vladimir Fedoseev in a tie-breaker to be crowned world champion, for the first time after nearly six years.
Earlier in the tournament he had beaten long-time rival and world number one Magnus Carlsen, who has lost in the finals of the world championship multiple times. The 48-year-old, who defied critics that said he is too old to contest, later said that he draws inspiration from the longevity of Roger Federer's career.
Read more about his victory in an interview with the grandmaster in the January 14 issue of THE WEEK.
Tennis
The annual Tata Open Maharashtra, formerly the Chennai Open, began on January 1, but continues to bear a depleted look. The ATP 250 series tournament was shifted to Pune from this year because of sponsorship issues.
Yuki Bhambri, India's best hope in singles, lost in the second round, while Marin Cilic, the only top 10 player at the event, reached the quarters.
In doubles, defending champions Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan are in the quarters, as are Yuki Bhambri and Divji Sharan.
