- By Namrata Vijay
- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs NZ: New Zealand's star pacer Lockie Ferguson has revealed that the five-match T20I series against India will give the Kiwis perfect preparation before the upcoming mega event, which will be held from next month. Post winning the historic ODI series against the host, the focus will now shift to the shortest format, where the first T20I will be held in Nagpur. Ferguson, who will be joining the team in India, has revealed that it will be challenging to face the host before the T20 World Cup.
"I know they're not the grounds potentially we'll play, but just the experience at the time - whether there's dew factor, whether there's condition factor - it's nice to get on the turf and have such a decent build-up into the World Cup," Ferguson told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
India is one of the top teams in the world, and in their own conditions, they are world-class. Much like the one-day series, the boys will play hard," he said.
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Ferguson, who will play for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026, has said that he will be bowling full throttle since last week, after recovering from a calf injury that he picked up in an ILT20 match. He is not part of the updated team list but is still optimistic about playing in this series.
"It's not been officially released yet, but it looks like we're tracking all well to definitely be involved in the series (against India)," he added.
He will be taking a short paternity break in the mega event as he is expecting the birth of his child. The star pacer is currently recovering after staying out of action for the last year owing to injuries.
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Talking about his future, Ferguson dismissed retirement claims as he is one of the 5 players who opted out of the central contracts of New Zealand Cricket.
"I still feel fit, I still feel like I'm contributing. If there's ever a day I wake up and I'm not contributing to a win, or if I don't think I'm deserving of playing for the team, then I'll put my boots on the wall," he said.
"But at this stage, I still think I'm one of the best, certainly ready to perform at a World Cup," he concluded.