India captain KL Rahul witnessed another bizarre chapter in cricket history as his team lost the 20th consecutive ODI coin toss during the second match against South Africa in Raipur. South African skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl first, extending India’s unprecedented losing streak that has baffled the cricket world.

Statistical Anomaly Shocks Cricket Fraternity

The probability of losing 20 coin tosses in a row stands at approximately 0.000000954, or roughly 1 in 1,048,576—a statistical outlier that has never been seen before in ODI cricket. The second-longest streak belongs to the Netherlands with just 11 consecutive losses. This remarkable run began during the 2023 ODI World Cup final and has continued across multiple captains including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill.

Rahul, arriving at the toss with dedicated practice on coin prediction, couldn’t break the curse. With a wry smile, he remarked, “I think the biggest pressure today was the toss. We haven’t won one in a long time, so I’ve genuinely been practising flipping the coin, but clearly it’s still not working.”

Rahul’s Light-Hearted Take Amid Series Pressure

Despite the toss misfortune, Rahul remained upbeat about the match outlook. “We did really well in the last game. They pushed us, and we know what to expect. Before the series, we spoke about it; we expect dew in every place we play. Put runs on the board, pick wickets early. Wicket looks good. We are playing with the same team,” he added post-toss.

Former Indian cricketer Shreevats Goswami added to the social media banter, joking, “India should not come for toss, just let the opponent decide what they want to do. Why waste time.” The losing streak has become such a talking point that fans and experts alike are questioning whether superstition or statistics are at play.

India, holding a 1-0 series lead after their Ranchi thriller, will aim to seal the series despite the toss hoodoo, banking on their strong batting firepower and bowling options to overcome Bavuma’s decision to field first on a wicket expected to favor chasing under lights.