India end 20-game toss woes; KL Rahul credits THIS commentator as team’s new ‘lucky charm’
KL Rahul playfully praised India’s toss win in the 3rd ODI against South Africa, calling him the team’s “lucky charm” after ending their long losing streak in the toss. The joyful moment quickly attracted attention as India finally enjoyed some luck ahead of the series finale.
India skipper KL Rahul won the toss and broke his 20-match losing streak in the toss by opting to bowl against South Africa in the third and final ODI in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The last time India won the toss during an ODI was in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, Rahul attributed the toss victory to former Indian spinner Murali Kartik as the odds eventually turned in the team’s favour. During the draw on Saturday, Kartik reminded Rahul that he was there when India won the last toss in international cricket before this match.
To throw #TeamIndia They won the toss and were selected to field first.
Updates https://t.co/HM6zm9o7bm#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/vYNPSa1iKF
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 6, 2025
“Me or you?” Kartik questioned Rahul.
Rahul said, “It’s you. I think you should bowl more.”
“I think so because the last time Shubman Gill won, I was the one who took the toss,” the former left-arm spinner added.
The incident Kartik was referring to was Shubman Gill winning the toss in the 2nd Test against the West Indies in Delhi earlier this year.
This was his first and only innings win as captain of the India Test team, which had lost the previous six Tests he led.
With the series level at 1-1, India made one change to the squad that lost the second ODI in Raipur, bringing in Tilak Varma in place of all-rounder Washington Sundar.
South Africa, which is facing injuries to important players Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi, included Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman in its reserves.
Burger and de Zorzi will be out of action for a few weeks. In the last match, Burger felt discomfort in his right hamstring, while de Zorzi also experienced pain in the same area while batting.
playing XIs
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
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
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