Shubman Gill's coin toss woes continued on Wednesday as the India skipper lost his fourth straight toss in the ongoing Test series against England -- extending India's incredible run of 14 consecutive toss defeats across formats in international cricket.
England Captain Ben Stokes had no hesitation in choosing to bowl first under overcast skies in Manchester, with a green-tinged Old Trafford pitch promising early seam movement.
The decision once again put India on the back foot at the very start of a match they must win to stay alive in the five Test series, which they currently trail 1-2.
'We're going to have a bowl. Decent overhead conditions for bowling,' Stokes said at the toss. 'We've had three games go down to the final session -- says a lot about the quality of the teams.'
Gill, trying to remain upbeat despite another toss loss, said, 'Good toss to lose. The way we've played in the last three Tests has been outstanding. We've won more sessions than them but lost crunch moments. It's been an intense series.'
With a lively surface early on and rain forecast later in the game, Gill and India face a stiff challenge to keep the series alive and halt their toss-losing streak.
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