SSC
Who captained the Indian cricket team in the first Cricket World Cup in 1975?
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Answer: Option B — S. Venkataraghavan
Detailed Solution
Venkataraghavan. Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, an off-spin bowler from Tamil Nadu, captained India in the first Cricket World Cup, held in England in June 1975. He also captained India in the 1979 World Cup.
India in the 1975 World Cup:
The tournament was called the Prudential Cup and had 8 teams. Matches were 60 overs per side and played in white clothing with a red ball.
India lost to England in the opening match at Lord's. England scored 334, and India made only 132 for 3 in 60 overs. Sunil Gavaskar batted through the whole innings for 36 not out off 174 balls, one of the slowest innings in ODI history.
India's only win was against East Africa.
India did not reach the semi-finals.
West Indies, captained by Clive Lloyd, won the first World Cup, beating Australia in the final at Lord's.
About S. Venkataraghavan:
- He was born in 1945 in Madras (now Chennai).
- He played 57 Test matches and took 156 wickets.
He was part of India's famous spin quartet, along with Bishan Singh Bedi, E. A. S. Prasanna and B. S. Chandrasekhar.
After retiring, he became one of the best-known international umpires, standing in 73 Tests and 52 ODIs between 1993 and 2004, and was a member of the ICC's first elite panel of umpires.
He received the Padma Shri in 2003.
India's World Cup captains of note:
1983 (winners): Kapil Dev.
2011 (winners): M. S. Dhoni.
2023 (finalists): Rohit Sharma.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Ajit Wadekar captained India in ODIs in 1974, India's first ODI series.
- ✗Sunil Gavaskar played in the 1975 World Cup but was not the captain.
- ✗Bishan Singh Bedi was the Test captain in the late 1970s; he did not captain the 1975 World Cup team.
Quick tip
Remember: India's captain in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups = S. Venkataraghavan (later an elite umpire); 1975 winners = West Indies (Clive Lloyd).
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Sports — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.