Shreyas Iyer matched one of Virat Kohli's captaincy records on Thursday after winning his sixth consecutive toss ahead of India's fourth T20I against England, moving within one of MS Dhoni's all-time Indian record in the format.
With his latest success at the toss, Iyer equalled Kohli for the second-longest streak by an Indian captain in T20Is. He now needs just one more consecutive toss win to draw level with Dhoni, who won seven straight tosses between May 2010 and February 2012.
Kohli's run of six successive toss victories came between August and December 2019, while Rohit Sharma's longest streak stands at five, achieved between February 2020 and February 2022.
Most consecutive tosses won by an India captain in T20Is
7 – MS Dhoni (May 2010 – February 2012)
6 – Virat Kohli (August 2019 – December 2019)
6* – Shreyas Iyer (June 2026 – July 2026)
5 – Rohit Sharma (February 2020 – February 2022)
5 – MS Dhoni (September 2007)
Despite Iyer's remarkable run with the coin toss, India's fortunes in the series have taken a downturn after a promising start.
Following a rain-affected opening game, the visitors have suffered defeats in the next two T20Is. The most recent setback was a heavy 125-run loss at Trent Bridge, allowing England to wrest control of the series.
India's task has become more difficult with injuries to two frontline bowlers.
Pacer Harshit Rana and mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy have both been ruled out of the remaining two matches after sustaining hamstring injuries during the third T20I.
"Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy sustained hamstring injuries in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. The BCCI Medical Team has assessed them and ruled them out of the fourth and fifth T20Is," the BCCI said in a statement.
For the fourth T20I, India drafted in all-rounder Washington Sundar and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna as replacements for the injured pair.
With England carrying momentum into the closing stages of the series after consecutive victories, India will be hoping Iyer's extraordinary luck at the toss is accompanied by an improved performance on the field as they attempt to square the contest and force a decider.
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