Explanation
The verified answer to “Important Battles question: Which battle saw Tipu Sultan defeating British forces and capturing Colonel Baillie in 1780?” is Battle of Pollilur, option C. The source-backed, question-specific record explains: The Battle of Pollilur (September 10 1780) saw Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan defeat British forces under Colonel William Baillie. Baillie and most of his force were captured. Tipu Sultan later imprisoned the British soldiers at Seringapatam. This evidence establishes the historical relationship required in this Important Battles item. A correct solution must preserve the exact battle, date, participants, commander, location, outcome or significance requested by the stem. Similar periods, genres or national traditions do not make two battle facts interchangeable. Option C gives Battle of Pollilur and satisfies every condition stated in the question. The remaining choices—Battle of Seringapatam, Battle of Porto Novo and Battle of Sholinghur—do not satisfy the complete requirement. The reliable checking method is to identify the named battle first, recall or verify its verified participant or outcome, and then read qualifiers such as “both works,” “original language,” “first published,” “correctly matched” or “incorrectly matched.” These qualifiers determine what counts as the answer. Replaying that method for this Important Battles question confirms Battle of Pollilur without relying on option position. This approach builds accurate historical knowledge and careful option elimination for SSC, Railway, Banking, Defence, State and other competitive examinations.