(Cricket news) After losing the 1st game by a mammoth 62 runs, India will be keen to level the series in the 2nd ODI which will also be played in Queenstown. India played well in patches in the last game but a 62-run defeat can never be counted as a good result. It is important that the Indian women don't take this series as just a warm up for the World Cup and try to win all the remaining games. There are 4 games left after this where India will look to play their best XI which is the one they want to play at the World Cup.

India's Possible Playing XI: 

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Mithali Raj(c), Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gaikwad.

Smriti Mandhana and Meghna Singh should return straight back into the side after completing their extended quarantine although there is no clarity on their availability. S. Meghna and Poonam Yadav are likely to be the ones who are left out. After the game, Mithali Raj did say that they missed Mandhana but having only 2 seamers in absence of Singh also cost them dearly especially in New Zealand conditions.

The big challenge for the Indian side will be adjusting to the ends, bowling with and against the wind which is a pretty big factor in New Zealand. India will need wickets with the new ball which is exactly what they didn't do in the last game, there will be a lot expected from Veteran Jhulan Goswami to do so. The return of Mandhana will be a massive boost to the side but at the same time the lower middle order of Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar will also have to step up. 

The spinners did a decent job in the last game but they will have to do better at containing the batters and building pressure by keeping the run-rate low. This Indian side definitely has a lot of potential but they need to be better at capitalising moments as the side tends to succumb under pressure. 

New Zealand squad:

Sophie Devine(c), Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
 

Also read: Takeaways as India whitewash West Indies to begin Rohit Sharma's era