Losing 20th toss in a row – India cannot make head or tail of ODI one-in-a million coin-curse
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India's captain K.L. Rahul celebrates after scoring a half-century in the second ODI against South Africa at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur on Dec 3, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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India lost their 20th consecutive toss in one-day internationals (ODIs) on Dec 3 in a remarkable continuation of their wretched luck with the coin flip that has baffled the team and bemused fans.
India’s stand-in skipper K.L. Rahul flipped the coin in Raipur hoping to end a streak that started with the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad when India had Rohit Sharma as the 50-over captain.
When the coin landed mid-pitch at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, it obliged the rival captain again. South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma, who correctly called “heads”, elected to field.
Statistics suggest the odds of losing 20 tosses on the trot are one in 1,048,576.
The wry smile on Rahul’s face said it all but the wicket-keeper-batter, leading the side in the absence of injured skipper Shubman Gill, managed to joke about it.
“Honestly, this is the most pressure I’ve had because we haven’t won the toss in a long time. So I’ve been practising, but clearly it is not working,” he said. REUTERS
