KL Rahul have finally broken India's toss jinx in the 21st attempt after the stand-in-captain opted to field first against South Africa in third and final ODI in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Having last won a toss in the 5-over format during the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Men in Blue went on to lose as many as 20 tosses with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Rahul, all on the receiving end.
But after two years, India got lucky with Rahul using his left-hand to spin the coin. South African captain Temba Bavuma called Heads and match referee Richie Richardson called Tails it is. Rahul celebrated with a hilarious laugh and a fist pump, with the Vizag crowd going gaga over it.
The last time India won a toss in an ODI was during the 2023 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahul later explained his toss trick to bowling coach Morne Morkel. Not just Rahul, but India's toss win was wildly celebrated by Harshit Rana.
In a video that went viral, Rana jumped like a kid with Rishabh Pant in company. Coming into the game, India made just one change to their playing XI with Tilak Varma replacing out-of-form Washington Sundar.
All-rounder Sundar, who played the first two ODIs, managed just 14 runs in total and failed to pick a wicket. On the other hand, South Africa, who are coming after a series-levelling win in Raipur, were forced to make two changes to their playing XI due to injuries.
While pacer Nandre Burger experienced discomfort in his right hamstring during the second ODI, batter Tony de Zorzi also complained of pain in his right hamstring while batting. Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman replaced them. Both Burger and de Zorzi were ruled out for two weeks.
India vs South Africa 3rd ODI playing XIs
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
