How many times have India lost an international to a non-Test team?

After the close shave against USA, I was wondering how often India had lost an international to a non-Test nation? asked Mahesh Bhasin from India
India were in trouble in their T20 World Cup opener in Mumbai last weekend, before recovering to 161 for 9 thanks to Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 84. They then restricted USA to 132 for 8.

India have a very good record against non-Test opposition: to date they have lost only three* such international matches. Sri Lanka beat them by 47 runs at Old Trafford in the 1979 World Cup (Somachandra De Silva took 3 for 29), and Kenya beat them twice: by 69 runs in Gwalior in 1998 (Maurice Odumbe made 83 and took 3 for 14), and by 70 in Port Elizabeth in 2001 (Thomas Odoyo 51 and 3 for 41).

India did not lose to Bangladesh or Zimbabwe until those two teams had been granted Test status, and have still never lost an official international to Afghanistan or Ireland.

What's the most sixes in an individual innings in the T20 World Cup? asked Jameson Parker from Jamaica
A Jamaican tops this particular table: Chris Gayle hammered 11 sixes in his 48-ball 100 not out for West Indies against England in Mumbai in March 2016.

The record Gayle broke was his own: he'd hit ten sixes in his 117 in the very first T20 World Cup match, against South Africa in Johannesburg in September 2007. Aaron Jones of the USA equalled that with ten sixes against Canada in Dallas in June 2024.

Has anyone made a higher score in a Youth World Cup final than Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? asked Danny Collins from England
The precocious Indian left-hander Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - he's still only 14 - smashed 175 from 80 balls in the recent Under-19 World Cup final against England in Harare. That is indeed the highest score in any U-19 World Cup final: the previous-best was a modest 111 not out, by India's captain Unmukt Chand against Australia in Townsville in 2012.

There have been only five higher scores in any men's U-19 World Cup match, the highest being 192 by Sri Lanka's Viran Chamuditha, another left-hander, against Japan in Windhoek earlier in this year's competition.

Jonny Bairstow was involved in two 150 partnerships in the same ODI against Australia in 2018. Has anyone else done this? asked Jason Thurlby from England
In the match you mention, at Trent Bridge in June 2018, Jonny Bairstow scored 139, and shared stands of 159 for the first wicket with Jason Roy (82) and 151 for the second with Alex Hales, who went on to 147 as England reached 481 for 6 against Australia, the biggest ODI total at the time.

This was one of ten ODI innings to contain two partnerships of 150-plus.

In six of the other instances, one man was involved in both stands: Virender Sehwag for India against Sri Lanka in Rajkot in 2009; JP Duminy for South Africa vs Netherlands in Amstelveen in 2013; Rohit Sharma for India vs Australia in Jaipur in 2013; Hashim Amla for South Africa vs West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015; Faf du Plessis for South Africa vs India in Mumbai in 2015; and Dawid Malan against the Netherlands in Amstelveen in 2022, when England's 498 for 4 broke their own record. In the other three cases different batters were involved.

I noticed that when Bert Sutcliffe made 385 for Otago, the next-highest score was just 29. Was the difference of 356 a record for a first-class innings? asked Jake Eden from Australia
That 385 by left-hander Bert Sutcliffe for Otago against Canterbury in Christchurch in December 1952 is still the highest score by a New Zealander.

The second-biggest contribution in that Otago innings was a modest 29, by the No. 8, Alan Gilbertson. The difference of 356 between the highest two scores was a record at the time, but it was surpassed in 1959, when Hanif Mohammad made 499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur: the next-best was Wallis Mathias' 103, a difference of 396. When Brian Lara broke Hanif's record with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, the next-highest score was Keith Piper's unbeaten 116 (a difference of 385).

*February 10, 8:46GMT: The answer was corrected to reflect that India have lost thrice to non-Test teams in internationals

Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.