5 Indian Players Make Their ODI Debut In Same Match For First Time In 41 Years

The ongoing third ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo has seen the management five debuts from the former. The Indian team had already carried six uncapped for the white-ball series in Sri Lanka and several experts anticipated for all of them to make a mark if given opportunities. Hence, the tourists have taken the step of handing five debuts in an ODI, doing so only the second time in history.

The last time India handed five maiden appearances in any One-day international was back in 1980 against Australia at the MCG. The men in blue played the likes of Dilip Doshi, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Sandeep Patil & Tirumalai Srinivasan 41 years ago. On the other hand today, India handed debuts to Nitish Rana, Sanju Samson, Krishnappa Gowtham, Chetan Sakariya, and Rahul Chahar.

Of the aforementioned five cricketers, only Sanju Samson and Rahul Chahar have tasted international cricket. Samson and Chahar have combined featured in ten T20Is, of which the former has played seven games. The pair would look to make their mark in their maiden ODI appearances.

India lead the ODI series by 2-0, aiming for a whitewash:

Meanwhile, the reason for handing five debuts is that India lead the three-match ODI rubber by 2-0. Half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan sealed a seven-wicket win in the first ODI as the visitors chased down 263 with 80 balls to spare. The men in blue recorded another memorable win in the second as Deepak Chahar stunned Sri Lanka by rescuing his side from 193-7, chasing 276. He struck 69 off 82 balls, sharing an unbroken 84-run stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar before taking two wickets.

Also Read: Watch: Shikhar Dhawan Does The Thigh Five After Winning The Toss In The Final ODI Against Sri Lanka