Rishabh Pant, Lionel Messi and Rory McIlroy – 25 of the best sports images of the week

We pick out the week's most spectacular images from the last seven days

Competitors prepare for the heats on Day 2 of the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, January 15. AFP

India's Mayank Agarwal drops a catch off the batting of Australia's Mitchell Starc during Day 2 of the fourth Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane, on Saturday, January 16. Reuters

Austria's Manuel Feller during the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's slalom on Saturday, January 16. Getty

Barcelona's Lionel Messi after being sent off for the first time in his career in his team's Spanish Super Cup defeat against Athletic Bilbao at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla on Sunday, January 17. Reuters

Left to right: Rachel Bernhardt, Micah Sumrall, Lilly King, Kathleen Baker and Bethany Galat compete in the women's 100 metre breastroke Final on Day 2 of the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, January 15. AFP

British biker Sam Sunderland during the Stage 12 of the Dakar Rally between Yanbu and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, on Friday, January 15. AFP

Competitors arrive at the shooting range during the women's 4x6km relay race at the Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, on Saturday, January 16. AP

India batsman Rishabh Pant celebrates victory with his teammates after his unbeaten 89 helped India defeat Australia in the fourth Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, and win the series 2-1 on Tuesday, January 19. Getty

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy on the driving range prior to the pro-am ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Wednesday, January 20. Getty

Bristol City's Kasey Palmer, right, jumps for a header with Tom Barkhuizen of Preston North End during the Championship match at Ashton Gate on Saturday, January 16. Reuters

The sky goes dark due to a thunderstorm that stopped play on Day 2 of the fourth Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane, on Saturday, January 16. Reuters

Cody Miller competes in the men's 100 metre breaststroke heats on Day 2 of the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, January 15. AFP

Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi shrouded in fog ahead of the UAE's one-day international against Ireland on Monday, January 18. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Cricket

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring his team's opening goal in their 3-0 Premier League win over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Monday, January 18. Getty

Mini's Stephane Peterhansel and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger, both of France, celebrate after winning the Dakar Rally, on Friday, January 15. AFP

World No 1 Novak Djokovic plays tennis on the balcony of his apartment with a member of his coaching team while in quarantine in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament, on Wednesday, January 20. AFP

Max Holloway lands a kick on Calvin Kattar during their featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, January 17. Holloway won the bout via a unanimous decision at the Etihad Arena. Getty

The Dutch men's team during the 10,000m race during the ISU European Speed Skating Championships at Thialf Stadium in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, on Sunday, January 17. Getty

A Palestinian woman plays basketball during a local competition for people with disabilities in Gaza City on Thursday, January 21. Reuters

India celebrate with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after beating Australia to win the series at the Gabba on Tuesday, January 19. EPA

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo finishes past Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina during the Italian Super Cup at the Mapei Stadium, in Reggio Emilia, on Wednesday, January 20. Juve won the match 2-0. AFP

French rider Aurelien Fontenoy climbs the 768 steps of the 33 floors of the 140-metre-high Trinity Tower in the business district of La Defense, west of Paris, on Sunday, January 17. AFP

The Danny O'Brien trained Russian Camelot on 13th Beach in Barwon Heads, Australia, on Tuesday, January 19. Russian Camelot is the early favourite for the All Star Mile. Getty

Internacional's Victor Cuesta celebrates scoring their first goal in a 5-1 win at Sao Paulo in the Brasileiro on Wednesday, January 20. Reuters

Adelaide 36ers' Donald Sloan and Mitch Creek of the South East Melbourne Phoenix battle for possession during the NBL match at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on Wednesday, January 20. Getty

One of the great Test-match series of all-time came to a dramatic climax this week as India completed a sensational victory in Australia.

Batsman Rishabh Pant was the fulcrum to India's record 328-run chase at the Gabba with a brilliant 138-ball 89, becoming the first team since the West Indies in 1988 to beat Australia at their Brisbane stronghold.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant called it "one of the biggest moments of my life" as India triumphed by three wickets and seal a 2-1 series win.

In football, there was contrasting fortunes for two of the game's great rivals in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former saw red for the first time in his career when he was sent-off in Barcelona's Spanish Super Cup defeat against Athletic Bilbao.

No such problems for Ronaldo who scored his 760th senior goal in Juventus' Italian Super Cup win over Napoli. The win earned Andrea Pirlo his first trophy as Juve manager after taking charge in August.

In motor-racing world, the Dakar Rally also reached its conclusion last weekend when the remarkable Stephane Peterhansel won the event for a record-extending 14th time.

It was the 55-year-old's eighth victory in the car category, after a gruelling two weeks in the Saudi Arabian deserts.