Cricket History and Facts

M.S. Dhoni captained the Indian cricket team to victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. Yuvraj Singh was a key player but not captain, Rahul Dravid had stepped down from captaincy earlier that year, and Sourav Ganguly was the previous ODI captain.

Dilip Vengsarkar was famously nicknamed 'The Colonel' during his cricketing career.

Amol Muzumdar broke the record held by Amarjeet Kaypee (7,623 runs)

The BCCI expelled Services from this year’s Ranji Trophy cricket tournament after they forfeited their first-round match against Jammu and Kashmir at Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar citing security reasons. The Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) cricket team was scheduled to play a Ranji Trophy game against Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) at Srinagar from Nov. 3 to 6, 2009.

The BCCI expelled Services from this year's Ranji Trophy cricket tournament after they forfeited their first-round match against Jammu and Kashmir at Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar citing security reasons. The Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) cricket team was scheduled to play a Ranji Trophy game against Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) at Srinagar from Nov 3 to 6, 2009.

Mohammad Azharuddin made a unique record by scoring centuries in his first three Test matches (100, 105, and 122) against England in 1984-85. This remains a world record for consecutive centuries on debut.

In the inaugural 2009 Champions League Twenty20, only 3 IPL teams participated - Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Deccan Chargers (the 2008 IPL finalists and winner). This was because the tournament was limited to top teams from domestic competitions.

Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket - 400 not out against England in 2004. This surpassed his own previous record of 375. Hayden scored 380, but Lara's 400* remains the highest.

ESPN acquired Cricinfo from Wisden Group in 2007. Wisden Group had owned Cricinfo since they acquired it in 2005. The acquisition strengthened ESPN's digital sports presence in cricket markets.

Before his Britannia endorsement, Saurav Ganguly's bat had the Kingfisher logo. This was during the period when United Breweries was actively sponsoring cricket and using bat branding as a key marketing channel.

Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy for a record 39th time in 2010, defeating Karnataka in the final. Mumbai is the most successful team in Ranji Trophy history.

Wasim Akram of Pakistan held the ODI wicket-taking record for many years with 502 wickets in ODIs. This was a record that stood for a considerable period. Kapil Dev, Courtney Walsh, and Anil Kumble were all great bowlers but didn't surpass Akram's ODI wicket tally.

Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket with 400 not out against England in 2004. This surpasses the previous record of 380 held by Matthew Hayden. Lara is renowned for his ability to score massive innings, having also scored 375 in 1994 which was then the record.

Don Bradman authored 'The Art of Cricket,' a classic instructional book published in 1958. The book covers batting technique, cricket strategy, and Bradman's legendary approach to the game. His technical insights remain valuable for understanding classical batting fundamentals.

A night watchman is a lower-order batsman sent in ahead of specialist batsmen near the end of a day's play in Test cricket. This strategy protects top-order batsmen from facing the new ball under fading light. The night watchman's role is to occupy the crease until the next morning.