Border-Gavaskar Trophy & India Cricket Quiz

Robert Andrew Woolmer, the Pakistani cricket coach, was found murdered in his hotel room during the 2007 Cricket World Cup in Jamaica. This was a shocking incident that overshadowed cricketing news. Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Fazal Mahmood were legendary Pakistani cricketers, and Hansie Cronje was a South African cricketer (banned for match-fixing, died in a plane crash).

Bangladesh defeated India on March 17, 2007, in a group stage match of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. This was a major upset as Bangladesh (then considered a minnow team) successfully chased down India's total. India was eliminated in the group stage that year. Kenya, Bermuda, and Zimbabwe were other teams in India's group but did not defeat India on this specific date.

Ireland defeated Pakistan by 3 wickets in a stunning upset at the 2007 Cricket World Cup group match played in Jamaica on March 17, 2007. This victory is considered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history as Pakistan, a former champion and strong contender, was knocked out of the tournament. Ireland, then an associate nation, chased down Pakistan's total of 132 with notable performances from Niall O'Brien and brothers Trent and Kevin O'Brien.

In the historic 2001 Eden Gardens Test against Australia, VVS Laxman scored 281 and Rahul Dravid scored 180 in their famous partnership. This was part of the 376-run stand that helped India follow-on and win the match after being asked to follow-on. The correct scores are 281 for Laxman and 180 for Dravid.

In the Perth Test of 2007-08, India achieved a famous victory at the WACA where visiting teams typically struggle. Irfan Pathan was the Man of the Match for his all-round performance, including crucial wickets and valuable contributions. This was a significant win as it broke Australia's winning streak at their fortress ground. Ishant Sharma, Dravid, and Tendulkar played important roles but Pathan was awarded Man of the Match.

Harbhajan Singh took 32 wickets in the 2000-01 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, including a famous hat-trick. This was a breakthrough series where he was instrumental in India's historic 2-1 victory.

VVS Laxman was involved in three 300+ run partnerships in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy - all with Rahul Dravid (2001: 376 at Kolkata, 2004: 303 at Adelaide, 2008: 316 at Mohali). Laxman and Dragic hold the record for most 300+ partnerships in this series.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was shared once - in the 2003-04 series when India and Australia drew 1-1. India has won 4 times (2008, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2017, 2020-21, 2023) while Australia has won 5 times (1999-2000, 2004-05, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2019-20).

The first Border-Gavaskar Trophy series was played in 1996-97, and Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of the Indian team for that inaugural series. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is named after legends Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, and Tendulkar led India in the first edition. Option B correctly identifies Sachin Tendulkar as the captain.

MS Dhoni has not scored a century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (test matches between India and Australia). His highest score in this series is 76 runs. Despite his significant contributions to Indian cricket, a Test century against Australia has eluded him.

Ricky Ponting scored 257 runs in the 2003-04 Sydney Test against India, which remains the highest individual score by an Australian batsman in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history. Hayden's 203 and other scores are lower than Ponting's record.

Four Indian batsmen had scored double centuries in Border-Gavaskar series by 2008-09: Sachin Tendulkar (217 at Sydney 1999-00), Virender Sehwag (201 at Adelaide 2003-04), Wasim Jaffer (212 at Adelaide 2003-04), and Gautam Gambhir (206 at Ahmedabad 2008-09).

South Africa won the triangular cricket series (Standard Chartered Trophy) held in Durban in February 1997. The tournament featured South Africa, India, and Zimbabwe, with South Africa defeating the other two teams to claim the title. India and New Zealand were not in the final.

India played its first-ever ODI match on July 5, 1974 at Headingley, Leeds against England. This was a historic moment as India entered the world of limited-overs cricket. Lord's and The Oval are famous English venues but not the site of India's ODI debut.

Ajit Wadekar was India's first ODI captain, leading the team in their debut ODI against England at Headingley in 1974. He was already the Test captain and continued in both formats. Bedi and Pataudi were great captains but preceded the ODI era.