Cricket History and Tournaments

Sehwag scored his maiden Test century (105) against South Africa in Bloemfontein in 2001. This was a brilliant debut century that announced his arrival on the international stage. He had scored a debut 84 in the first innings of the same match before converting to a century.

VVS Laxman made his Test debut against South Africa in Ahmedabad in 1996, scoring 51 in the first innings. This was the beginning of a distinguished 16-year Test career. Australia, Pakistan, and West Indies were opponents he faced later in his career, not in his debut match.

VVS Laxman made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 1998. This was a forgettable debut where he scored just 5 runs, but Zimbabwe is indeed the correct answer.

Laxman scored his maiden Test century (167) against Australia in Sydney in 2000. His maiden ODI century also came against Australia. This makes Australia the correct answer for both formats.

Australia holds the record for the most runs scored in the first innings of a Test match while eventually losing. They scored 589 against West Indies in 1955 but lost the match. This demonstrates that even massive first innings totals don't guarantee victory.

Sachin Tendulkar scored 523 runs in the 2003 World Cup (7 innings) compared to 361 runs in the 1996 World Cup (5 innings). His 2003 performance was superior in aggregate runs.

Statement II is correct - India remained undefeated in all Test matches played in 2009. Statement III is also correct - India's 726/9 declared against Sri Lanka in Mumbai 2009 became India's highest Test innings total at the time. Statement I is incorrect - the Mumbai victory was India's 100th Test win overall, but it wasn't specifically the '100th test victory' (India had achieved this milestone earlier). Therefore, only statements II and III are correct.

India holds the record for most extras bowled in a Test innings. The question is about which team gave away the most extras. India is the correct answer as per cricket records.

India achieved their first Test victory against England at Chepauk (Chennai) in 1952, winning by an innings and 8 runs. This came 20 years after their debut Test match.

Sri Lanka scored 443/9 against Netherlands in 2023, setting the record for the highest ODI team score. South Africa previously held the record with 438/9 against Australia in 2015. Sri Lanka's 443 is the current record.

Sourav Ganguly scored his highest ODI score of 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup. This was then the highest individual score in World Cup history and one of the greatest ODI innings. The knock featured aggressive batting and helped India post a massive total.