For all the various woes seemingly entrenched in Australian cricket, the fall of the coin has been a near-constant source of angst since Tim Paine became the nation's 46th Test captain.
Virat Kohli opted to bat first at the SCG on Thursday, marking the third time in the four-Test series he has called correctly.
Paine has won the toss just once in seven Tests. That outlier in Perth was followed by Australia's only victory since the Cape Town cheating scandal.
Recent evidence underlines the importance of Kohli winning the toss in Sydney and why it was such an immense boost to India's bid for a maiden Test series win in Australia.
India's Test record after Kohli wins the toss is remarkable; 18 wins and three draws.
The only other Test captain in history to have won at least 10 tosses and avoided defeat on every occasion is Don Bradman.
There remains an active debate over whether the toss should be scrapped, although the International Cricket Council's cricket committee ruled last year the tradition remains "an integral part of Test cricket which forms part of the narrative of the game".
The proposed change is intended to encourage curators around the world to produce pitches that deliver a better balance between bat and ball, while also reducing home-ground advantage.
Kohli's team has conquered Australian conditions with aplomb this summer but pitches have been a near-constant talking point throughout the series, with the Perth and Melbourne decks both rated average by the match referee.
Under the English county model in place since 2016, the visiting captain is given an option of bowling first or proceeding with a normal toss to decide which side will bat first.
A TALE OF THE TOSS *Paine: 6 tosses lost (5 defeats, 1 draw); 1 toss win (1 win) *Kohli: 24 tosses lost (8 wins, 10 losses, 6 draws); 21 tosses won (18 wins, 3 draws).
