Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw created history as they became just the fourth opening pair from India to make their ODI debut in the same game, in the first match of the three-match series against New Zealand. The last instance when two newcomers had opened the batting for the Men in Blue was when KL Rahul and Karun Nair batted against Zimbabwe in 2016 on a tour when the senior players had opted for a break.
Agarwal and Shaw, however, came into the side after injuries to Team India’s regular openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.
| Openers from India who made their debut in the same game | ||||
| Partners | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Date |
| Sunil Gavaskar & Sudhir Naik | 44 | England | Leeds | 13 July 1974 |
| P Sharma & D Vengsarkar | 7 | New Zealand | Christchurch | 21 Feb 1976 |
| Karun Nair & KL Rahul | 11 | Zimbabwe | Harare | 11 June 2016 |
| Mayank & Prithvi Shaw | 50 | New Zealand | Hamilton | 5 Feb 2020 |
How the duo fared in their maiden ODI outing
Both Agarwal and Shaw, who have already made their Test debuts, started off cautiously after India were sent in to bat first at the Seddon Park. After a quiet couple of overs, Agarwal smashed the first ball for a four off the bowling of Tim Southee, with the opener drilling an outswinger off his front foot to get into the groove. Shaw, at the other end, too got going with successive fours off Hamish Bennett – the first, a flick through mid-wicket, and the second, a brilliant square drive off a slightly wider ball.
Negating the slight seam movement on offer, the two cricketers looked confident and despite a few nervy moments – Agarwal survived a close LBW call and then survived a run-out chance – they looked well set for a big knock.
Shaw, in particular, dominated proceedings in the powerplay overs, going on the back foot against shorter balls and flicking the slower deliveries that came his way. His timings were perfect as well, but his dismissal reeked of inexperience as he tried to be cheeky against a tight line and length ball off Colin de Grandhomme, only to get an outside edge when he was on 20 off 21 balls.
Agarwal, at the other end, however, did not change his approach, sending a short ball by Southee with conviction through square leg, but he too perished soon after off a short ball when he was on 32.
The quick wickets saw the Indians collapse to 54 for 2, and though the team would be disappointed that the openers did not convert their good starts, they have two more games to correct the wrongs committed in the first ODI.