Before leaving for the toss ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand that is currently taking place at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11, India skipper Shubman Gill was spotted praying to God. The captain wanted to do everything in his power to win the toss because Gill had a bad record of winning them for the Indian squad.
Fans are responding differently to the humorous moment in the video that has been making the rounds on social media and gone viral. In the end, the strategy was effective, as the Indian side won the coin toss. Since taking over as captain, this was also Gill’s first toss victory in ODIs.
Before the toss, watch this video of Shubman Gill praying.
Captain Shubman Gill won his first ODI toss.
Bro was literally praying to God before walking out for the toss ðŸ˜pic.twitter.com/VdiY0mINXf
— GillTheWill (@GillTheWill77) January 11, 2026
“First, we’ll bowl. To be honest, test a variety of combinations to discover which one works best for various situations, particularly when we play in India. The dew can be a bit of a barrier when bowling second, so experiment with the combination that works best for our situation. This wicket appears to be decent. After winning the toss, Gill stated, “I hope it will be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the new coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first.”
Everyone is arriving after playing some matches, so everyone appears to be in good form, so I believe we’re playing a little bit of the Vijay Hazare series. We’ve played a lot of cricket together, so whenever we get together, the atmosphere is always pleasant and serene. With Prasidh, Siraj, and Harshit as the three pacers and Washi, Jadeja, and Kuldeep as the spinners, we’re going with six bowlers,” he said.
India’s starting lineup for the first ODI:
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