1 in 1.31 lakh chances; India's toss curse continues as Shubman Gill unable to undo Rohit Sharma's misfortune

India has set a record with 17 consecutive toss losses in ODIs, surpassing the previous record held by the Netherlands.

Updated on: Oct 23, 2025, 09:25:05 IST

By Probuddha Bhattacharjee

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India’s bad luck with the toss continues. In the second ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, Shubman Gill lost the toss and extended India’s toss loss streak to 17. The streak began on November 19, 2023, at the World Cup final in Ahmedabad, when Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins won the toss against Rohit Sharma. Nearly two years have passed since then, and India have not won a single toss in ODIs.

Shubman Gill with the rest of the Indian team (AFP)

The rarity of the event

Each toss comes with a 50-50 chance. The chance of one of India’s unique streaks is (1/2)^17 = 1/1,31,072, which is equivalent to 0.0007629%. To park that in real-world comparisons, the chances of getting the first three cards from a freshly shuffled deck as Ace of Spades, King of Spades, and Queen of Spades in that exact order are about 1 in 1,32,600, or the chances of rolling a six seven times in a row on a fair die are about 1 in 2,79,936.

What the record says

India had surpassed the all-time record in March as they overtook the Netherlands’ record of losing 11 consecutive tosses in ODIs. The Indian streak that started with Rohit Sharma has spanned across multiple captains.

Notably, Australia won the toss in Adelaide and put India to bat. This is after the same happened during the coin flip in the first ODI of the series at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

When did India last win a toss in ODIs?

The last ODI toss that India have won was in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede in Mumbai. Since then, India have not been able to call the coin flip right.

Toss wins do not ensure you win; they just allow you to take better advantage of the playing conditions. However, India will be happy with the fact that they have a win percentage of 62.5 during this period. Winning 10 out of the 16 ODIs despite losing the toss proves that the team is ready for all kinds of challenges and tries to put up a fight irrespective of the conditions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Probuddha Bhattacharjee
Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.Read More

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