In the unpredictable theatre of cricket, where fortunes can swing on a dime, there are some events so statistically improbable they verge on the fantastical.
Yet, Team India, the cricketing behemoths, currently find themselves embroiled in a bewildering streak that has statisticians scratching their heads and fans reaching for their calculators: an astonishing 14 consecutive coin toss losses.
The latest instance of this baffling phenomenon occurred in Manchester, at Old Trafford, during the fourth Test against England.
As the coin spun and landed, India's captain, Shubman Gill, found himself on the wrong side of fate for the fourth time in this series alone.
This extends a truly remarkable, and indeed, record-breaking run of misfortune with the flip of a coin.
To put this into perspective, the odds of losing a single coin toss are, of course, 50/50, or 1 in 2.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
For each subsequent toss lost, the probability halves.
Therefore, to lose 14 tosses in a row, the odds stack up to an eye-watering 1 in 214, which calculates to a staggering 1 in 16,384, that's a probability of approximately 0.0061%.
Heads or tails? India have now lost 14 consecutive international coin tosses...
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2025
The odds of that happening are 16,384/1 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CaNLKme8V7
This isn't merely a run of bad luck; it's an outright statistical anomaly that has sent ripples across the cricketing world.
While a coin toss is a seemingly minor event, its outcome can significantly influence a match, particularly in Test cricket where pitch conditions and overheads can dictate early play.
Opting to bat or bowl first can be a crucial strategic decision, giving one side a perceived advantage.
It serves as a potent reminder that even in sports governed by skill and strategy, the unpredictable hand of chance can still play a role that utterly confounds logic and defies the most improbable of odds.