India's newly-appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer is on the verge of scripting history, not with the bat but at the toss. After finally registering his maiden victory as India's T20I captain against Zimbabwe, Iyer now has the opportunity to break an 88-year-old international cricket record that has stood untouched since the late 1930s.
The Indian skipper has won the toss in each of his first eight matches as captain and needs just one more successful call to become the first captain in international cricket history to achieve the feat.
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Shreyas Iyer eyes unique 88-year-old captaincy milestone
Iyer's captaincy journey has been one of contrasting fortunes. While his first seven matches in charge ended without a victory following defeats against Ireland and England, his luck at the toss has been impeccable.
By winning the toss in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare, Iyer extended his streak to eight consecutive toss wins, drawing level with former England captain Wally Hammond, who set the record in the late 1930s.
According to ESPNcricinfo, another successful toss call in the second T20I would see Shreyas Iyer become the first captain in international cricket history to win the toss in each of his first nine matches as skipper, moving ahead of Hammond after 88 years.
Iyer has already broken two major records
The toss win in Harare also helped Iyer register two other captaincy milestones. He became the first captain in men's T20I history to win the toss in each of his first eight matches, surpassing Gregory Taylor of the Bahamas, who previously held the record with seven consecutive toss wins.
The streak also eclipsed an Indian record. MS Dhoni had won the toss in seven successive T20Is between 2010 and 2012, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma managed streaks of six and five, respectively.
After tasting his first victory as India's T20I captain with the seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe, Shreyas Iyer now heads into the second match with the chance to add another unique chapter to cricket history.