The last time India won a toss in an ODI game was back in the World Cup semifinal 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium. After that, they have lost 20 consecutive tosses in the format, including the second ODI against South Africa at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, under the leadership of KL Rahul. 

KL Rahul, who lost the toss even in the opening clash in Ranchi, kissed the coin before flipping it in the air. But it didn’t matter as Temba Bavuma, the visiting captain, made the right call and won the toss. The probability of losing 20 successive tosses is 1 in 1047576.

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“Honestly, that's the most pressure I've had because we haven't won a toss in a long time. I've been practicing, but clearly it's not working. I think we did really well last game. A lot of positives from the last game, so just trying to continue that. And, come out here, play hard cricket again. They pushed us in the last game as well. We know what to expect.” KL Rahul expressed in the toss presentation.  

Watch: KL Rahul kisses coin-toss as India retain same playing eleven for IND vs SA Raipur ODI

India decided to retain the same playing eleven from the last game, which meant Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad got one more chance to show their caliber in the 50-over format. South Africa made a few changes to their combination.

🚨 Toss 🚨#TeamIndia have been put into bat first.

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/oBs0Ns6SqR#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/d7YT7IVEu9

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2025

“This is a time in India where there is a lot of dew. We're expecting dew in every place that we play. So, the bowlers have spoken about it. A few tactics and a few things that we've spoken about, which I think we did really well in the last game. So, that'll give our bowling team a lot of confidence.” Rahul informed.

“Just carry from there and keep getting better. If we put runs on board and pick up a few wickets early on, then it becomes a bit easier for us. The wicket looks good. The only reason any team opts to bat second is the dew factor and not much to do with the wicket.” India’s stand-in captain addressed.