Cricket History and Tournaments

India won its first Cricket World Cup in 1983, captained by Kapil Dev, defeating the West Indies in the final at Lord's. This was a historic victory that transformed Indian cricket. India also won in 2011 (not listed), while 1987, 1992, and 1996 were years when other countries won.

This refers to the 1996 Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and Sri Lanka. Aravinda de Silva was the Man of the Match for his brilliant century (107 not out) and taking wickets. Sri Lanka won this World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar scored test centuries against all major Test-playing nations except Zimbabwe. His centuries came at grounds in Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, but never in Zimbabwe despite playing there. Kenya was not a Test-playing nation during his career.

South Africa was indeed granted direct qualification for the tournament as the host nation. Host nations typically receive automatic qualification without needing to go through the qualifying process, which is standard practice in major international tournaments.

Ireland did not qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup after Thierry Henry's hand ball incident in the playoff against France. The French captain's deliberate hand ball, which led to the winning goal, prevented Ireland from qualifying directly.

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 37th Test century against Sri Lanka. While the exact match verification would require consulting cricket records, this represents his 37th hundred in Test cricket. Tendulkar eventually scored 51 Test centuries in his career, the most by any batsman.

In 2009, India achieved a rare cricketing double with the number one Test player (Gautam Gambhir) and ODI player (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) of the year in ICC rankings.

Sachin Tendulkar scored 127 not out against Kenya in the 1996 World Cup. This was one of his crucial innings in that tournament.

The Kiwis is the official nickname for the New Zealand cricket team, derived from the kiwi bird which is New Zealand's national symbol. New Zealand teams across various sports are called the Kiwis, making this one of the most recognizable national team nicknames in world cricket.

The Baggy Greens refers to the Australian cricket team, named after the baggy green caps that have been awarded to Australian Test cricketers since the late 19th century. The cap is one of the most iconic symbols in Australian cricket, representing Test selection for Australia.

Sourav Ganguly scored his highest Test innings of 239 runs against Pakistan in the 2007 Bangalore Test. This was a magnificent double-century and remains his personal best in Test cricket. Option D (Pakistan) is correct.

This refers to the 2010 World Cup group stage match between Ghana and Australia. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams scoring once during regulation time. Neither option represents a victory for either side.

The first ever Test match was played between England and Australia in 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This historic match marked the beginning of Test cricket. West Indies and India didn't play Test cricket until much later in the 20th century.