New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson said the five-match T20 International series against India, starting on Wednesday, will provide his team with the perfect platform to prepare ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup. Buoyed by the recent 2-1 ODI series win against India, New Zealand will take on World Cup co-hosts India in the first T20 International in Nagpur. Ferguson, who joined the Kiwis in India, spoke to reporters before leaving. Said, ‘This will be really very good preparation. I know these will not be the grounds where we will play in the World Cup but the experience of playing there, its impact and assessing the conditions of the grounds will be great preparation before the World Cup. He said, ‘India is one of the top teams in the world and has no match in home conditions. I am confident that our players will perform as well as they did in the ODI series. India will come out to settle the ODI score with NZ, Suryakumar’s performance will be in focus. Ferguson, included in the Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2026, said that he has recovered from the calf injury suffered during the ILT20 match in UAE earlier this month and has been bowling with full strength for the last one week. However, Ferguson’s name is not in the team that New Zealand has announced for the first match. He can also take paternity leave for a few days during the T20 World Cup as his child is expected to be born on February 20. The fast bowler said that he has no intention of retiring at the moment. He said, ‘I still feel fit. I still feel I can contribute to the team. If ever a day comes when I wake up in the morning and see that I am not contributing to the victory or I feel that I am not worthy of playing for the team, then I will retire. The 34-year-old player, who played his last ODI match in the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup against India, said that he is still striving to play 50-over cricket. Ferguson said, ‘I love 50-over cricket. This gave me a little more recognition than T20.
