Suryakumar Yadav’s hilarious ‘Pooja karni padegi’ gesture breaks internet after India’s toss curse continues at MCG
Published - 31 Oct 2025, 01:39 PM | Updated - 31 Oct 2025, 02:12 PM
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India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has once again brought his trademark humor to the field, sending social media into a frenzy during the second T20I between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (October 31).
After India lost yet another toss, Suryakumar Yadav was caught on camera making a funny “Pooja karni padegi” (We’ll have to do a prayer) gesture, leaving fans and commentators in splits.
Suryakumar Yadav’s “Pooja Karni Padegi” gesture goes viral after India lost yet another toss
As Australian captain Mitchell Marsh was talking with broadcaster Ravi Shastri after winning the toss, Suryakumar playfully turned toward his teammates and pretended to perform a “pooja,” suggesting that only divine help could now save India from the toss curse.
His lighthearted act had everyone, including the match referee Jeff Crowe, laughing at the comical moment. The lighthearted moment quickly went viral across social media platforms.
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) October 31, 2025
The toss trend, however, continues to haunt India, as they have now lost the toss in their last 16 men's international matches. India have now lost 18 consecutive tosses in ODIs, and 8 in T20Is this year.
On the other hand, Mitchell Marsh maintained his incredible record, winning his 19th toss in T20Is and choosing to chase for the 19th time in a row.
Aaron Finch and Varun Aaron join the fun after India’s toss curse continues
As India’s misfortune at the toss has reached bizarre levels, even cricket experts couldn’t resist joining the fun. Former Australia captain Aaron Finch joked that he would not take Suryakumar to the casino. Finch said on air, “I wouldn't take Suryakumar Yadav to a casino. That's crazy.”
On the other hand, former India pacer Varun Aaron humorously suggested checking the coin. Aaron said, “You have to check that coin. Someone needs to provide us with the reaction from 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, which means Arshdeep Singh was once again forced to warm the bench. On the other hand, Australia made one change to their lineup, bringing in Matthew Short in place of Joshua Philippe for the second T20I against India at the MCG in Melbourne.
What Captains said at the toss?
Suryakumar Yadav stated, “We are happy to bat first. That is the brand of cricket (aggressive) we want to play. Shubman knows how to score runs. With him, you have to run hard between the wickets as well. We are playing the same team.”
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Mitchell Marsh said, “We are going to bowl first. (Pitch) Looks like a good one; hopefully it won't change for 40 overs. We have one change—Short comes in for Philippe.”
Playing XI for MCG T20I
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Australia XI: Mitchell Marsh (C), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (WK), Tim David, Matthew Short, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood
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