Lockie Ferguson picks the four batsmen who are the toughest to bowl to; 2 Indians make the list

New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson recently opened up about his country's victory over India in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup and the batsmen he finds it difficult to bowl to.

In an exclusive interview with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda Cricket's Facebook page, the express fast bowler picked Indian opener Rohit Sharma as his biggest challenge.

He also named Indian captain Virat Kohli and former Australian captain Steve Smith, along with the destructive David Warner, when asked about the toughest batsmen to go up against.

"Good question, there's quite a few. Rohit, I've found him very challenging. With him, if you don't get him out quickly, he tends to go big. He picks up the length very quickly and where my strengths lie, batters play the wrong shot. He's a world-class batter," Lockie Ferguson said.

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Smith, Warner, Kohli: Lockie Ferguson hails 'world-class' batsmen

Lockie Ferguson is one of the few express fast bowlers in the world

Lockie Ferguson continued by stating that these top-order batsmen are greatly satisfying to get out, given their obvious quality and match-winning ability.

"Steve Smith, David Warner, Virat Kohli - these guys are world-class for a reason. They're always tough to bowl to but it feels good when you knock off the top order and have a chance to get to bowl to the middle order or the lower order."

When asked about the Blackcaps' victory in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against India, Lockie Ferguson said that it was great for the team to dismiss Rohit Sharma early and heaped praise on the Mumbai Indians captain.

"Rohit, I'm a huge fan of him, I think he's an exceptional batter."

The semi-final saw India's top order dismissed very early in the innings, with Sharma, KL Rahul and Kohli all falling within the first four overs. India fell to 18-run defeat in a rain-hit game, despite Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni putting up a fight towards the end of the innings.

After their triumph over India, New Zealand lost on a boundary count rule to hosts England in the final in heartbreaking fashion, after the game went to a Super Over.