Tag: sports

Mohammad Azharuddin is the only Indian captain to win his first four Test matches as captain. He achieved this feat in 1984-85 immediately after taking over from Sunil Gavaskar, beating England (2-0), Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in consecutive series. No other Indian captain, including Ganguly, Dhoni, Tendulkar, or Kohli, has matched this start.

Only Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar have tied ODI matches while captaining India. Azharuddin's tied match was against Zimbabwe in the 1999 World Cup (last ball tie), while Tendulkar's tied match was against South Africa in 2003-04. Ganguly and Dhoni never had tied ODIs as captain.

Mohammad Azharuddin scored most of his centuries against England among all opponents. He scored 6 centuries against England in Tests, which was his highest against any single team. This includes his famous triple-century at Kolkata and multiple centuries at Lord's and other venues.

Anil Kumble took his first 50 Test wickets in just 10 Test matches, making him the fastest Indian bowler to reach that milestone at the time. He achieved this between 1990-1992, establishing himself as India's premier spinner. Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Gundappa Vishwanath were batsmen who didn't reach this milestone as quickly.

Kapil Dev captained India from 1982-84 and again in 1985-87, with Sunil Gavaskar briefly captaining in between. The period 1982-87 covers his captaincy years, though he was not captain continuously throughout these entire years due to the brief period when Gavaskar led the team.

During Kapil Dev's captaincy era (1982-87), India did not play against South Africa due to the sporting boycott during apartheid. South Africa was excluded from international cricket until 1991-92, so Kapil Dev never captained India against them. India did play against West Indies, New Zealand, and Pakistan during his tenure.

Sachin Tendulkar's father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a noted Marathi novelist and poet. He published novels and poetry in Marathi literature. This makes Tendulkar the correct answer among the options. The other captains' fathers were not novelists - Ganguly's father was a printing press owner, Wadekar's was a professor, and Kirmani's was not a novelist.

Ravi Shastri captained India in only one match against West Indies, which was the 1987-88 Madras Test that India won. This was a single captaincy appearance as he was standing in for the regular captain. The other options - Chandu Borde, Vijay Hazare, and Hemu Adhikari - either captained in multiple matches or in different eras.

Iker Casillas was Spain's starting goalkeeper and captain during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where Spain won the tournament. Casillas was instrumental in Spain's success, conceding only two goals throughout the tournament and saving crucial penalties in the shootout against Portugal in the Round of 16.