NEW DELHI: After a long wait and 20 consecutive misses, India finally broke their toss jinx in ODIs, winning the coin toss in the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. The rare toss victory not only gave the team a morale boost but also ended a frustrating streak that had become a talking point among fans and experts alike.

Captain KL Rahul, who had earlier stressed the importance of the toss after South Africa successfully chased down 359 in the second ODI, couldn't hide his excitement this time. He pumped his fist in celebration after winning the toss in the series decider and chose to bowl first, finally seizing the chance to make the crucial decision himself.

The last time India won the toss in an ODI was in the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.

Tilak replaces Washington

India made one change to the side that lost the second ODI at Raipur, bringing in Tilak Varma in place of all-rounder Washington Sundar.

South Africa, hit by injuries to key players, Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi, have included Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman in their place.

The series stands at 1-1, after India won the first ODI and South Africa levelled it in Raipur.

South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna