NEW DELHI: Shreyas Iyer‘s extraordinary run of luck at the toss finally came to an end on Saturday as Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to field first in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club, ending the India skipper’s record streak of eight consecutive toss wins in the shortest format.The result marked the first time Iyer has lost a toss as India’s T20I captain, bringing to an end a sequence that had already seen him surpass former skipper MS Dhoni‘s long-standing national record.With India leading the three-match series 1-0 after a commanding victory in the opener, Iyer admitted he would have preferred to bat first on what he felt looked like a much-improved batting surface.
Iyer expects better batting conditions
Unlike the opening match, where the pitch offered uneven bounce and assistance to the bowlers, Iyer believed the surface for the second T20I looked significantly better.
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“We were going to bat first. I feel it looks a bit different. It’s not as tacky as it was in the first game. I feel the bounce will be consistent, and that’s what I’m hoping. But let’s see how it plays,” the India captain said.Rather than dwelling on the toss outcome, Iyer stressed the importance of maintaining the same mindset that helped India dominate the opening encounter.“We just passed on the message to all the boys that it’s important to stay in the present and not be complacent because when you have such a comprehensive win, you tend to take things easily,” he said.“I think it’s essential for us to enjoy the moment as well as make sure that we play to the best of our abilities. There is a lot of potential in the dressing room and if they turn up today with a solid approach, then definitely the results will take care of themselves,” he added.Iyer also confirmed one change to the playing XI, with Yash Thakur making his India debut in place of Ashok Sharma.
Raza backs Zimbabwe seamers
Having won the toss, Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza wasted little time in opting to bowl first, convinced that Harare’s winter conditions would once again provide early assistance to his pace attack.“We want to bowl first. First reason being the winter wicket as we know, it’s slightly spicier at the start, so hopefully we can make early inroads and then see what comes in the batting order later on,” Raza explained.While acknowledging that the wicket appeared better than it had during the first T20I, Raza still expected enough movement for his fast bowlers.“The surface is certainly a lot better today than it was in the first game, so it may not be as spicy, but we know that in Harare, especially during winter, there will be a bit of spice at the start and hopefully our seamers can make inroads. If they do, it’ll go a long way towards helping us stop them,” he said.Zimbabwe retained the same playing XI that lost the series opener by seven wickets.
Historic streak finally comes to an end
Before Saturday’s contest, Iyer had rewritten India’s T20I captaincy record by winning eight successive tosses, overtaking MS Dhoni’s previous mark of seven set between 2010 and 2012.The streak, which stretched from June to July 2026, had become one of the most remarkable toss runs by an Indian captain in the format. It finally ended in Harare, though India will hope the result at the toss has little bearing on the outcome of the match.
