Nottingham [UK], June 11 (ANI): New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson on Tuesday said that he hopes that the injury to Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is not grave and hopes that the batsman is not the out of World Cup for too long.

His remarks come after severe speculations regarding Dhawan's injury. Amidst the left-hander's knock of 117 runs against Australia, he got hit on the thumb by Pat Cummins.

"Dhawan is one of the top batsman in the world and hopefully he is not out of the World Cup for too long. As a player, we don't want to miss matches from injuries. Although it is the part of the game and players get injured and others get an opportunity. I like bowling against lefties but have to wait a couple of months to bowl against him," Ferguson said at the pre-match conference.

Prior to the match against India, the pacer opined that it is essential for the team to pick up early wickets upfront to apply pressure on the opponent. He also acknowledged that the team has an experienced bowling lineup which makes his job easier.

"I'm always looking to improve, it's easy when we get the early wickets upfront and put some pressure on the batting side and then bowl on the required length. Fortunately, we have such an experienced bowling group around me, we talk among each other and hang out with each other, which makes the learning process a lot easier," Ferguson said.

New Zealand has so far won all their three matches in the World Cup. The team has defeated Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in the tournament so far and they are currently the number one side in the tournament standings.

The side even defeated India in their warm-up fixture ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

"It's been an interesting start of the World Cup and obviously we keep an eye on the different grounds and have the matches go. West Indies showed that there is extra bounce at Trent Bridge and of course that some trouble for Australia. It is known as the high scoring ground and pressure will be on the batsmen rather than the bowlers. Looking forward to another challenge," Ferguson said.

India recently played a five-match ODI series against the Kiwis in New Zealand earlier this year. The Men in Blue came out triumphant in that series as they won 4-1.

New Zealand takes on India in the World Cup on June 13 at Trent Bridge. (ANI)