NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill won the toss in his first ODI as captain in India and asked New Zealand to bat first in the opening match of the three-match series at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday.

India have now won back-to-back tosses in ODIs after losing 20 consecutive tosses, a streak that began with the 2023 World Cup final.

Gill attributed his decision to the dew factor, which he said would make chasing easier later in the game. India have opted for a balanced combination, fielding three spinners and three pacers.

"We will bowl first. Honestly, try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India. Whenever you're bowling second, there's a bit of a challenge with the dew, and so try out what kind of combination suits our condition the best," Gill said after winning the toss.

"It looks like a good wicket. Hopefully, I think it'll be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the new coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first. I think playing a bit of VH series (Vijay Hazare Trophy), everyone is coming after playing some matches, so everyone looks in good form. We've played a lot of cricket together, so you know, the environment is always nice and calm whenever we get together. We are going with six bowlers, with Washi, Jadeja, Kohli as the spinners, and Prasidh, Siraj, and Harshit," he added.

New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell said he would have batted first as well, but expressed great faith in the team's preparations coming into the series.

"We would have bowled first, but happy to bat. We have been used to the weather and have some great net sessions. It's a big series for us, a proud moment every time we play for New Zealand. We're playing a WC in India and it's a big advantage for us. New faces, but some experience as well. Might play a bit lower - Kristian Clarke makes his debut today, Aditya Ashok is our main spinner," he said.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok