"Rohit Sharma becomes Veeru during every toss" - Fans react as India lose 15th consecutive toss during IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy final

New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first in the 2025 Champions Trophy final against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 9. This was the Men in Blue's 15th successive toss loss in ODI cricket, the most for any team.

Rohit Sharma has now lost 12 tosses on the trot in ODIs, while keeper-batter KL Rahul was the stand-in captain on the other three occasions. The unwanted record was previously held by the Netherlands, who lost 11 back-to-back tosses between 2011 and 2013 in the format.

It is worth mentioning that Sharma equaled former West Indies skipper Brian Lara's record of losing the most tosses in a row in ODIs. Several fans took to social media, joking about India's luck after the side lost yet another toss. Here are some of the top reactions:

"Rohit Sharma becomes Veeru during every toss these days," a fan quipped.

"15/15 coin tosses lost. Rohit Sharma deserves Nobel Prize in Mathematics for disproving the fraudulent theory of probability," remarked a fan.

"BCCI ko toss ki practice ke liye bhi ek coach rakhna chahiye," joked a fan.

"Everything is temporary par toss harna is permanent," commented yet another.

A few Indian fans didn't mind Sharma losing the toss, considering India have finished on the winning side throughout the 2025 Champions Trophy despite losing the toss every single time.

"Mujhe genuine tension thi ki kahi hum toss jeet na jaaye. Ab toss haar gaye toh pakka game toh apna hee hai," tweeted a fan.

"We lost the toss that means we are winning the game," wrote another.

"Another toss to lose, another game to win Time to win #ChampionsTrophyFinal and get our second ICC trophy on the trot," remarked an Indian supporter.

India went with an unchanged playing XI for the 2025 Champions Trophy final. New Zealand had one forced change, with Nathan Smith replacing the injured Matt Henry. Here are the two lineups for the ultimate showdown:

NZ: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, William O'Rourke.

IND: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.

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"We have been here enough, I don't mind batting second" - Rohit Sharma on New Zealand electing to bat first in IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy

Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma pointed out that India have done well in Dubai while both chasing and defending during the 2025 Champions Trophy. He opined that it has given the side a lot of confidence and has taken the toss factor out of the picture.

He pointed out that New Zealand have been consistent performers in ICC events and going up against them in the final won't be an easy affair for India. Sharma said:

"We have been here enough, I don't mind batting second. We have to bowl first and it is important to focus on how we restrict them. It gives you a lot of confidence, at the end of the day it matters how we want to play. It is just about playing good cricket and that is what has gotten us so far. New Zealand has been a great team over the last so many years and have played well in the ICC tournaments. It will be a challenge for us."

India and New Zealand squared off against each other in the group stage of the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. Rohit Sharma and Co. claimed a 44-run win in the clash.