'The plan was to bowl and see if he would undercut it' - Lockie Ferguson reacts to viral MS Dhoni leave from 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final [Exclusive]

'The plan was to bowl and see if he would undercut it' - Lockie Ferguson reacts to viral MS Dhoni leave from 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final [Exclusive]

Lockie Ferguson's career has been plagued by injuries, but whenever he has played games at a stretch and discovered rhythm, he has been a force to reckon with.

The 34-year-old has played one Test, 65 ODIs, and 43 T20Is, for the Black Caps since making his debut in December 2016. Ferguson has accounted for 163 wickets across the three formats.

During an exclusive interview with CricTracker, the right-arm pacer took a trip down memory lane, speaking about his experience of facing India in the iconic semi-final in the 2019 ODI World Cup on July 9, at Old Trafford, Manchester.

The match went into the reserve day and was eventually won by New Zealand by 18 runs, as they defended a 240-run target against a strong Indian side. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 221 in 49.3 overs. Ferguson took one wicket and conceded just 43 runs in his 10 overs. Fellow seamers Matt Henry and Trent Boult bagged three and two wickets, respectively.

How vividly do you remember the 2019 World Cup semi-final where New Zealand beat India at the Old Trafford?

"Yeah, very memorable tournament for us. Probably one of the first times I've been in the team for a long period. So exciting tournament. Obviously, a one-day game played over two days is pretty unheard of. But the way the boys started, Matt Henry and Trent Boult, was exceptional with the ball and really got us into the fixture and put pressure back on India. So a very fond memory. Obviously, a few days later, not the best memory, but at the same time, a very successful tournament for the Black Caps," Ferguson said.

Ferguson also reacted to the viral leave from MS Dhoni during the closing stages of the semi-final. India needed 52 runs to win off the last 31 deliveries, with Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. Ferguson bowled a short-pitched delivery outside off-stump and the Indian wicketkeeper-batter left it alone. Clips of that leave went viral, as fans were surprised to see the former India captain leaving a delivery when the required run rate had climbed to more than 10 runs an over.

Ferguson said that the plan was to have Dhoni undercut the delivery onto his stumps. While the Indian stalwart didn't score a run off that ball, he hit a similar delivery for a six in Ferguson's following over. However, Dhoni couldn't take his team to victory.

There is a famous reaction of yours that buzzed social media when MS Dhoni left the ball and let it go to the keeper during the same game in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. Could you please take us through that for our fans?

I can't remember what they were needing to chase at the time, but I knew they had to score a few runs. The plan was to bowl and see if MS would undercut it, and he left it. So I was surprised because naturally, when you're bowling, you're trying to restrict runs, then it's nice when a batter leaves it. But I think the next day, the first ball, I tried again, and he just got it over the boundary for six. So the plan almost worked the second time as well. But it was nice to get him out that game and, of course, get across the line in the semi-final.