 "IND vs PAK, Champions Trophy 2025: India achieve unwanted record as Rohit Sharma loses toss against Pakistan")
synopsis
After losing the toss to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 clash, India achieved an unwanted record of losing most consecutive in the history of ODI cricket.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and Team India’s misery with the toss has continued during the coin flip ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE on Sunday, February 23.
The hype around the clash between arch-rivals was at its peak as fans eagerly anticipated another thrilling contest between two cricketing giants. This was very much evident when team captains Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Rizwan walked out for the toss. As usual, Indian cricket fans wanted Rohit to win the toss. Much to their disappointment, India lost and Pakistan put the Men in Blue to bowl first.
After losing the toss to Pakistan, India achieved an unwanted record of losing most consecutive in the history of ODI cricket. The Men in Blue lost 12 consecutive losses on the trot in ODIs, breaking Netherlands previous record of losing 11 tosses successively from March 11 to August 2013. India’s toss losing streak began in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final against Australia. Later that year, under the captaincy of KL Rahul, India lost all three tosses in the away ODI series against South Africa.
In 2024, Rohit Sharma failed to win a single toss in the three-match away ODI series against Sri Lanka. During the ODI series against England, India continued their streak of losing the toss, with Rohit Sharma unable to win any of the three coin flips. The trend persisted in India’s opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh, where Rohit failed to win a coin flip.
Meanwhile, India are looking to seal their semifinal as the Men in Blue won the opening match of the tournament against Bangladesh by six wickets in Dubai.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are in a do-or-die situation as they lost the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 by 60 runs against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi. The loss will put them on the verge of early exit from the tournament as the Net Run Rate (NRR) will decide their chances of qualifying for the semifinal.
‘Doesn't really matter’: Rohit Sharma after losing the toss
Speaking at the toss after Pakistan put India to bowl first, skipper Rohit Sharma asserted that losing the toss did not matter to him, adding that Dubai pitch is on the slower side. India skipper also said that players' contribution with the bat and ball in the match.
“Doesn't really matter, they won the toss so we'll bowl first. Looks similar to the last game, the surface is on the slower side. We have an experienced unit in batting, so we know what we need to do if the pitches get slower.” Rohit Sharma said.
“Need an overall performance from the team - with bat and ball. The last game wasn't an easy one for us, which is always nice. You want to be under pressure and test yourself. We are playing the same team," he added.
India and Pakistan last played against each other in the group stage of the T20 World Cup last year, where Men in Blue triumphed over Babar Azam-led side by six runs.
Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
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