India's stand-in skipper KL Rahul flipped the coin in Raipur on Wednesday hoping to end a streak that started with the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad when India had Rohit Sharma as the 50-over captain.
When the coin landed mid-pitch at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, it obliged the rival captain again.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma, who correctly called 'heads', elected to field.
Statistics suggest the odds of losing 20 tosses on the trot are one in 1,048,576.
The wry smile on Rahul's face said it all but the wicketkeeper-batter, leading the side in the absence of injured skipper Shubman Gill, managed to joke about it.
"Honestly, this is the most pressure I've had because we haven't won the toss in a long time. So I've been practising, but clearly it is not working," he said.
Virat Kohli's second successive hundred was not enough as South Africa, aided by Aiden Markram's ton, chased down a target of 359 to clinch a four-wicket win and level their ODI series 1-1 in Raipur.
Markram (110) scored his fourth ODI hundred, forming crucial partnerships with captain Temba Bavuma and Matthew Breetzke, before Dewald Brevis scored a swift 50 as South Africa pulled off their third biggest successful run chase in ODI history.
