India lose their 19th consecutive toss in ODIs
It is now officially the worst toss record in history of one-day cricket
Hosts posted 349 after losing the toss and batting first
India once again came up short at the toss and were put in to set a target by South Africa in the first ODI at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi, on Sunday (November 30, 2025).
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul lost out to Aiden Markram, who himself was deputising for Temba Bavuma -- who had recently steered the Proteas to a historic 2-0 series sweep.
This marked India's 19th consecutive toss loss in ODIs, a sequence dating back to the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
The next worst toss-losing streak in ODIs is 11 by the Netherlands, between March 2011 and August 2013, as per Cricbuzz.
Meanwhile, former India captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to become the pair with the most international matches played together, stepping into their 392nd game side-by-side.
India Post 349 Through Virat Kohli's Ton, Rohit-Rahul's Half-Centuries
After losing the toss and batting first, team India successfully posted 349 runs on the board, largely due to Virat Kohli's excellence. The former India captain first stitched a 136-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, who departed after scoring 57.
Virat Kohli then had some brief partnerships with Washington Sundar (13) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (8). Later, he was joined by skipper KL Rahul, who saw Kohli smash his 52nd ODI century.
The star Indian batter, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, eventually got out for a score of 135 off 120. KL Rahul also scored a half-century and Ravindra Jadeja had a contribution of 32 off 20.
India vs South Africa, 1st ODI Playing XIs
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa Playing XI: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman
