India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has once again brought his trademark humor on the field, creating a frenzy on social media during the second T20I between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (October 31).
After India lost another toss, Suryakumar Yadav was caught on camera saying “Pooja karni padegi” (We have to pray), causing fans and commentators to laugh.
Suryakumar Yadav’s “puja karni padegi” gesture goes viral after India lose another toss
When Australian captain Mitchell Marsh was talking with broadcaster Ravi Shastri after winning the toss, Suryakumar playfully turned towards his teammates and pretended to do “puja”, suggesting that now only divine help can save India from the curse of the toss.
His light-hearted act made everyone, including match referee Jeff Crowe, laugh at the humorous moment. This light-hearted moment quickly went viral on social media platforms.
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) 31 October 2025
However, the trend of the toss is troubling India, as they have now lost the toss in their last 16 men’s international matches. India has lost the toss 18 consecutive times in ODIs and 8 times in T20s this year.
Also read: Yashasvi Jaiswal supports Gambhir, Agarkar for forcing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma to play domestic cricket
Mitchell Marsh, on the other hand, maintained his incredible record, winning his 19th toss in T20Is and opting to chase the target for the 19th consecutive time.
Aaron Finch and Varun Aaron join in the fun after India’s toss loss continues
As India’s bad luck at the toss reached bizarre levels, even cricket experts couldn’t help but join in the fun. Former Australian captain Aaron Finch jokingly said that he would not take Suryakumar to the casino. “I wouldn’t take Suryakumar Yadav to a casino. That’s madness,” Finch said on air.
On the other hand, former India fast bowler Varun Aaron jokingly suggested examining the coin. Aaron said, “You have to examine that coin. Someone needs to provide us with the reaction of the entire Indian team. They were standing behind Ravi Shastri and they were all disappointed.”
Meanwhile, India decided to stick with the same playing XI from the first match for the second T20I against Australia, meaning Arshdeep Singh was once again forced to sit on the bench. Australia, on the other hand, made one change to their lineup by bringing in Matthew Short in place of Joshua Phillipe for the second T20I against India at the MCG in Melbourne.
What did the captains say in the toss?
Suryakumar Yadav said, “We are happy to bat first. This is the brand of cricket (aggressive) that we want to play. Shubman knows how to score runs. With him, you have to work hard between the wickets as well. We are playing with the same team.”
Also read: Shreyas Iyer’s family reached Australia, condition revealed
Mitchell Marsh said, “We’re going to bowl first. (The pitch) looks good; hopefully it won’t change for 40 overs. We’ve got one change – Phillip comes in short.”
Playing XI for MCG T20I
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia XI: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matthew Short, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnman, Josh Hazlewood.
