India captain KL Rahul had joked that he was “kicking himself” after losing the toss in the second One-Day International between India and South Africa in Raipur. But on Saturday, in the third ODI at Visakhapatnam, he made ammends, by winning India’s first toss in ODIs in over 20 attempts. Rahul used an unconventional technique to beat the slump: he tossed the coin with his left hand rather than his favoured right hand.
India vs South Africa Live Cricket Score, 3rd ODI
Bavuma called heads and the coin favoured the Indians, who opted to bowl first after being asked to bat in both of the previous ODIs. After winning the toss, Rahul was seen fist pumping and celebrating which brought a smile to Bavuma’s face and elicited a loud roar in the stands. The roar was so prolonged that toss presenter Murali Karthik had to wait a few seconds for the noise to subside.
🚨 Toss 🚨#TeamIndia have won the toss and elected to field first.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/HM6zm9o7bm#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/vYNPSa1iKF
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 6, 2025
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Rahul was later spotted indicating to a teammate that he had tossed the coin with his left hand.
Rahul also bantered with former India cricketer Murali Karthik, who was also at the toss.
When Karthik asked: “is it me or is it you?” Rahul responded: “I think it’s you, you should do more tosses.”
India’s captain KL Rahul, right, flips coin for the toss as South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram looks on during the first One Day International match between India and South Africa in Ranchi, India, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo)
Karthik then pointed out how the last time India captain Shubman Gill had won the toss, it was he who was the toss presenter as well.
After losing the second ODI, Rahul had said at the post-match presentation: “Not really a (tough one to swallow) given how much dew there is and how difficult it is to bowl in the second inning. Thought we did well in the last game. Today the umpires were nice to change the ball. Toss plays a big role so I’m kicking myself for losing 2 tosses in a row (laughs).”
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When asked if there were areas where India could have done better, Rahul first said “yeah, win the toss”.