India vs South Africa: Proteas' skipper Faf du Plessis may seek teammate's help at toss to end luckless streak in third Test

Ranchi: Having lost nine successive tosses in Asia, an exasperated South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won’t mind sending “someone else” in his place for the toss of the coin in the third and final Test against India, beginning on Saturday. South Africa have struggled in Indian conditions and not winning the toss in the first two Tests has only made things tougher for them. Opting to bat in Visakhapatnam and Pune, India put up 500-plus totals to virtually bat the visitors out of the game. “We really want to make sure that we compete with this team in their own conditions. We have done it in stages in the first Test. So, hoping that we can start with the toss tomorrow. “Probably we will change… send someone else to the toss tomorrow. I can give you that… because my records so far has not been great,” said du Plessis, in a lighter vein, on the eve of the game. Du Plesiss said “anything is possible” if his side get to bat first. If on Saturday, the South African skipper decides to hand over the toss duties to ‘someone else’, it won’t be the first time that he has deployed this plan. Last year in a T20 against Zimbabwe, Du Plessis had brought JP Duminy, who wasn’t even playing in the match, out to the middle in a bid to snap a six-game losing streak at the toss and to South Africa’s advantage the trick worked.

If you put big runs in the first innings, that’s where it need to stop. Then anything from there is possible. Hopefully that will unfold in the next couple of days and hopefully we can put some runs on “The pitch looks a little bit drier and crustier so first innings runs will be vital and then anything from there is possible in the second innings,” the South African skipper added. Recently even Australia’s captain Meg Lanning had sent teammate Alyssa Healy for flipping the coin ahead of their first T20I against Sri Lanka. Lanning had just one toss during Australia’s preceding tour to the Caribbean and so she decided to forgo the toss duties, to Australia’s fortune, Healy won the toss in that match.With inputs from PTI