India's Shreyas Iyer has finally lost a toss as T20I captain, ending an extraordinary eight-match winning streak.
The Zimbabwean captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to field first in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club, breaking Iyer's record.
India's skipper had previously won eight consecutive tosses, surpassing former captain MS Dhoni's record of seven. The streak, which started in June and lasted until July, was one of the most remarkable in T20I history.
Iyer himself felt that the pitch for the second match looked better than the first, with more consistent bounce. "We were going to bat first," he said. "I feel it looks a bit different. It's not as tacky as it was in the first game. I feel the bounce will be consistent, and that's what I'm hoping. But let's see how it plays."
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expected his seamers to make early inroads, despite the improved pitch. "The surface is certainly a lot better today than it was in the first game, so it may not be as spicy, but we know that in Harare, especially during winter, there will be a bit of spice at the start and hopefully our seamers can make inroads," he said.
Iyer also confirmed that Yash Thakur would make his India debut in place of Ashok Sharma, while Zimbabwe retained the same playing XI that lost the series opener.
The match will now be played out on the pitch, with India looking to maintain their 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Source: Yahoo Sports