Raipur, December 4, 2025: India’s ODI side is in a statistical quagmire after losing 20 consecutive coin tosses, a streak dating back to the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. The odds of such a run are calculated at over one million-to-one.
Stand-in captain KL Rahul, who led India in Wednesday’s second ODI against South Africa in Raipur, admitted he was “flummoxed” by the streak. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, along with Rahul, have all failed to win a toss since India’s last correct call against New Zealand on November 15, 2023, during the World Cup semi-final in Mumbai.
“I’ve been practising, but clearly it’s not working,” Rahul said after losing the flip once again to South Africa captain Temba Bavuma. The series decider is scheduled for Saturday in Visakhapatnam, where Rahul hopes to finally break the streak.
Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar noted the psychological element of tosses, saying captains sometimes anticipate opponents’ choices based on their habits. “For the first game, it was Aiden Markram who was captain. So Markram might be a person who likes opting for ‘heads’, and Temba Bavuma might be a captain who likes to opt for ‘tails’,” he explained.
South Africa’s former pacer Dale Steyn recalled a rare instance during the streak when Faf du Plessis asked Bavuma to toss on his behalf, highlighting the unusual pressures surrounding coin flips in modern cricket. “It’s the first time I have ever seen a captain ask one of the other players to come and do a toss. Temba also lost that toss,” Steyn said.
With odds stacked improbably against them, India faces mounting pressure to finally win a toss in the third ODI, a psychological hurdle that has captured the attention of cricket fans and analysts alike.
