India gave three -- KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Yuzvendra Chahal -- of the five new faces their debuts in the first 1st ODI. As India opted to bowl first after winning the toss, Chahal, a leg spinner, got the opportunity first to show his skills and he impressed with his control. He bowled 10 overs for 27 runs and took one wicket to make it a good debut for himself.
When India began their chase, debutants Rahul and Nair came to open the innings. It was the first time since 1976 that two debutants opened the innings for India in an ODI. On February 21, 1976, Dilip Vengsarkar and Parthasarthi Sharam opened the innings for India against New Zealand in an ODI in Christchruch.