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Shreyas Iyer could break 88-year-old captaincy record with 9th consecutive toss win in IND vs ZIM 2nd T20I originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Shreyas Iyer has won the toss in each of his first eight matches as India captain.
- A ninth win on Saturday would break Wally Hammond's 88-year-old record.
- Iyer has already surpassed MS Dhoni's Indian mark of seven consecutive toss wins.
Shreyas Iyer could break 88-year-old captaincy record with 9th consecutive toss win in IND vs ZIM 2nd T20I
Shreyas Iyer's start to life as India captain has been defined by two contrasting streaks. One has brought relentless criticism, the other a run of fortune that no captain in the history of the game has ever managed.
His first seven matches in charge yielded no wins at all, taking in a 2-0 sweep by Ireland and a 4-0 whitewash by England. The pressure on his leadership grew heavier with every defeat.
Yet at the toss, Iyer has been flawless. He called correctly again in Harare on Thursday, extending his streak to eight from eight, and India finally broke their duck with a comfortable victory over Zimbabwe. Another correct call on Saturday would take him past a record that has stood untouched since the late 1930s.
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The record Iyer can break in Harare
According to ESPNcricinfo, a ninth consecutive toss win would make Iyer the first man in international cricket to win the toss in each of his first nine matches as captain, moving him past England great Wally Hammond.
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Hammond set the mark of eight in the late 1930s, and it had gone unmatched for 88 years until Thursday. Iyer's win at the Harare Sports Club drew him level with the former England batter across all formats.
He had already claimed two other records along the way. Iyer became the first captain in men's T20I history to win the toss in each of his first eight matches, surpassing Gregory Taylor of the Bahamas, who managed seven.
The Indian record also fell. Iyer's streak of eight overtakes MS Dhoni's seven consecutive T20I toss wins between 2010 and 2012, with Virat Kohli next on six and Rohit Sharma on five.
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Shreyas Iyer's toss record as India captain
| Match | Opposition | Venue | Toss | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | Belfast | Won | Chose to field |
| 2 | Ireland | Belfast | Won | Chose to field |
| 3 | England | Chester-le-Street | Won | Match abandoned |
| 4 | England | Old Trafford | Won | Chose to bat |
| 5 | England | Trent Bridge | Won | Chose to field |
| 6 | England | Bristol | Won | Chose to bat |
| 7 | England | Southampton | Won | Chose to field |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | Harare | Won | Chose to field |
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Fortune at the toss finally met a result
There is a grim comedy to the whole thing. Iyer has enjoyed the greatest run of coin-toss luck any captain has ever had, and until Thursday it had bought him precisely nothing in the win column.
Harare changed that. Iyer explained his thinking after calling correctly, saying the surface appeared to have good pace and bounce, and India duly bowled Zimbabwe out for 125 before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's record 18-ball fifty settled matters.
Winning the toss matters far more in some conditions than others, and India's problem in Ireland and England was never the coin, it was an inexperienced attack and a top order undone by pace and bounce.
Saturday now offers Iyer the chance to claim a genuine piece of history alongside something he needs considerably more, which is a first series win as India captain.
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