Shubman Gill joins rare list of Indian captains to lose all five tosses in a Test series. Check others
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Shubman Gill joins rare list of Indian captains to lose all five tosses in a Test series. Check others")
Gill and Pope at the toss of Kia Oval Test Photograph: (ECB)
With this toss loss at the Oval, Shubman Gill became only the fourth Indian Test captain to lose all five tosses in a series. It also marked India’s 15th consecutive loss in international tosses across formats.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill found himself in an unwanted club on Thursday (Jul 31) when he lost his fifth consecutive toss during the Kia Oval Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. On a green-top pitch perfect for bowlers, losing the toss proved costly as India, after being asked to bat under overcast conditions, lost six wickets on the opening day. With this toss loss, Gill became only the fourth Indian Test captain to lose all five tosses in a series. It also marked India’s 15th consecutive loss in international tosses across formats.
This was just the 14th instance in Test history where a captain has lost all five tosses in a series.
Here’s a look at the other Indian skippers who are a part of this unwanted club.
Lala Amarnath (1948‑49 vs West Indies)
Independent India’s first Test captain, Lala Amarnath, went through a rough patch when the West Indies toured India in 1948. Windies skipper John Goddard won all five tosses, and the visitors took the series 1‑0.
Kapil Dev (1982‑83 vs West Indies)
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Just before his iconic World Cup triumph, Kapil Dev faced a tough West Indies tour. He lost all five tosses to Clive Lloyd, and India couldn’t win a single Test. The series ended with the Windies triumph (2-0).
Also read | IND vs ENG, 5th Test: Shubman Gill breaks Sunil Gavaskar's 46-year-old record. Details inside
Virat Kohli (2018 vs England)
In 2018, former India captain and modern-day legend Virat Kohli also went through this unlucky streak. On India’s tour to England, Joe Root won all five tosses, and England went on to win the series despite Kohli's 593 runs in the series.
Shubman Gill (2025 vs England)
Now, Shubman Gill is the recent addition to the list. The young Indian skipper has called every toss wrong in the ongoing India-England series, with England leading the series by 2-1.
Winning Tosses Doesn’t Guarantee Wins
While losing five tosses is never ideal, history shows it doesn’t decide everything. A lot depends on your skills, patience, and ability to hold your nerves under crunch moments. A recent reminder is India’s Champions Trophy triumph, where Rohit Sharma’s men lifted the trophy without winning a single toss.
