Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer attempted an innovative tactic to ensure a favorable toss result in the ongoing game against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens.
Before tossing the coin, Iyer was observed kissing it, a gesture noted by commentator Sanjay Manjrekar. However, despite the unusual tactic, Rajasthan Royals’ captain Sanju Samson correctly called the toss.
Shreyas Iyer “Coin-Kiss” Act At Toss Leaves Sanju Samson Stunned
During the post-toss interview with Manjrekar, Samson was asked about Iyer’s gesture, to which he expressed surprise, saying, “Did he?” Samson then glanced back at Iyer with a smile before continuing the interview.
The video of the same has gone viral on the internet, watch it here:
🚨 Toss Update🚨
Rajasthan Royals win the toss and elect to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders
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Samson opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Speaking at the toss, Samson said: “We would like to bowl first. Might be better to chase on this. Very much excited to be back in Eden Gardens, there’s a great vibe in the stadium. Jos and Ash are available for this game, so they are coming back,”
However, Buttler was listed as an Impact substitute since he is anticipated to bat for RR in the second innings, considering the presence of three overseas players in the starting lineup.
Iyer also wanted to bowl first at home, citing the consistent performances of his veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine with the ball this season. He said:
“Would have loved to bowl as well based on the last game, on how the ball moved around. Whenever he (Narine) comes in, he is hard to read and he’s got that poker face all throughout, we want him to perform him the way he has. We are playing the same team,”
Playing XI and Impact Players list of KKR and RR:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Jos Buttler, Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger