India’s uncanny streak of losing tosses in ODIs continued as Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener in Dubai. With this, India has now lost 11 consecutive tosses in ODIs, a rare record that puts them alongside the Netherlands, who also endured an 11-match toss-losing streak between March 2011 and August 2013.
Teams & Toss Reactions
Playing XIs:
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
After losing yet another toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed that he would have opted to bowl first, considering past experiences at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. “We have played a few years back here, so we felt the ball comes on better under lights. All looking good, everyone is fit and fine to go. There is no looking back; every game is important in this tournament,” Rohit said.
On the other hand, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was confident about his team’s decision to bat first, citing the quality of the pitch. “Looks like a good wicket, so we want to put runs on the board. We have to play good cricket today, and the boys are confident,” he stated.
India’s Toss Struggles Since the 2023 World Cup Final
India’s inability to win tosses has been a peculiar issue, dating back to the final of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. Since then, every ODI has seen the opposition captain call correctly, adding an unusual challenge to India’s preparations.
India will be hoping to break this unwanted streak soon as they kick off their Champions Trophy campaign.