Dubai: The eyes of the cricketing world were focused on Dubai as India and Pakistan squared off for yet another high-voltage clash, this time in the Champions Trophy.
The toss is always crucial in ODI cricket, as the advantage wrests with the winning team which can opt to bat or bowl after assessing the pitch and conditions.
And over the last 15 months, luck has completely deserted Indian captains.
So much so that when Rohit Sharma called it wrong after Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan threw up the coin at the Dubai International Stadium, it was the 12th consecutive time that Team India had lost the toss in an ODI.
That’s a world record, an unwanted one, surpassing The Netherlands’ 11 tosses lost.
If Rohit can take some consolation, it’s from the fact that he was not at the helm in all those matches.
The toss-losing streak started in the World Cup final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023, when Rohit and Australia’s Pat Cummins were involved.
In December 2023, India lost the toss in all three ODIs against South Africa, this time under KL Rahul’s captaincy.
Rohit, back in charge for the bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka in August 2024, was at the receiving end in all three games.
Earlier this month, India, under Rohit’s captaincy, again lost the toss in all three matches against England in a home series.
In their opener in the Champions Trophy, too, Rohit lost out against Bangladesh captain Shanto.
In the 11 previous games, India have won more (6) than they have lost (4). One of the ODIs against Sri Lanka was tied. So that augurs well for the men in blue.
