India skipper Shubman Gill won his first-ever ODI toss after being spotted praying before the coin flip against New Zealand in Vadodara.
India captain Shubman Gill was seen praying to God moments before walking out for the toss ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. Gill has struggled with toss results since taking over the captaincy, and the young skipper appeared keen to change his luck on the big occasion.
A video of Gill’s gesture quickly went viral on social media, drawing mixed and humorous reactions from fans. The moment turned out to be a lucky one, as the coin landed in India’s favour. Notably, this was Gill’s first toss win in ODIs since he became India’s captain.
After winning the toss, Gill chose to bowl first and explained the team’s thinking behind the decision.
“We will bowl first. Honestly, try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India. Whenever you’re bowling second, there’s a bit of a challenge with the dew, and so try out what kind of combination suits our condition the best. It looks like a good wicket. Hopefully, I think it’ll be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the new coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first,” Gill said after winning the toss.
ALSO READ | Sanjay Manjrekar Reiterates ‘ODIs Are Easiest Format’ View While Targeting Virat Kohli
Gill also spoke about the squad balance and the confidence within the group. “I think playing a bit of Vijay Hazare series, everyone is coming after playing some matches, so everyone looks in good form. We’ve played a lot of cricket together, so you know, the environment is always nice and calm whenever we get together. We are going with six bowlers, with Washi, Jadeja and Kuldeep as the spinners, and Prasidh, Siraj, and Harshit the three pacers,” he concluded.
This article follows WicketWatcher’s editorial standards. Learn more in our Editorial Policy or report an issue via our Corrections Policy.