India extended a world-record streak of bad luck when Shubman Gill lost the toss at Old Trafford on Wednesday (July 23).
India lose 14th consecutive toss in men's international cricket
Following a long break after a thrilling Test at Lord's last week, which resulted in England taking a 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India and England renewed hostilities in Manchester on Wednesday.
4th Test, England vs India
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- Ball by ball Over
For the fourth successive time in this series, India captain Shubman Gill called the toss wrong, and Ben Stokes chose to field first for the third time. This being his first series as skipper, that means Gill is yet to win a toss as Test captain.
The lost toss also extended a truly remarkable run of poor luck for India in men's international cricket. Across formats, this was the 14th consecutive toss that had not gone their way; an event that has a one in 16,384, or 0.000061 per cent chance of happening. The last time an Indian men's captain won the toss was on January 28, 2025 when Suryakumar Yadav won in a T20I against England at Rajkot.
Curiously, India's senior women's team lost seven tosses in a row on their recently-concluded tour of England, before winning the eighth, in the third ODI yesterday.
Four other teams – West Indies (1999), England (2022-23), New Zealand (1972-73) and Vanuatu (2023-24) – have lost 10 consecutive tosses in men's international cricket.
Most consecutive tosses lost in men's international cricket
| Team | Tosses Lost | From | To | Captain(s) |
| India | 14* | January 31, 2025 | July 23, 2025 | Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill |
| West Indies | 12 | February 2, 1999 | April 21, 1999 | Jimmy Adams, Brian Lara, Carl Hooper |
| England | 11 | December 17, 2022 | March 12, 2023 | Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes |
| New Zealand | 10 | February 16, 1972 | June 7, 1973 | Bevan Congdon, Graham Dowling |
| Vanuatu | 10 | July 29, 2023 | August 21, 2024 | Joshua Rasu, Ronald Tari |
