Raza on his IPL experience: 'If there is no cricket from tomorrow, I'd say I have ticked all the boxes'
Who's the Punjab Kings team-mate that has impressed him the most? "Jitesh Sharma. Imagine a wicketkeeper who can bat like him down the order"
I can't rate my own performance (laughs), but I have given my everything every time I have gone out to the field. I have no regrets in terms of my effort. I have got a Player of the Match [award], two MVPs, and one Dream 11 [award, for most fantasy points in a match], so at least I have four trophies to take home. That's something to be humbled about, I guess.
I'd say that Lucknow is a quality side with a good seam and spin attack. On that wicket, it was harder to score. It was a tough chase [of 160], so to come out on top of that game… the only reason we still have a chance to qualify is that we did well in away matches. It has been a real strength for us.
I give credit to their supporters. It wasn't the biggest stadium I have played at, but certainly the noisiest stadium. The CSK fans were cheering their team from the first to the last ball. They were really noisy, but in a good way. It was a great vibe. I know they were supporting the home team, but I enjoyed that atmosphere. It was something different, something that I have never experienced before.
Pathirana is a quality talent. I remember that [Lasith] Malinga was hard enough to face but Pathirana is just a bit trickier. His arm comes lower. Malinga was side on, I remember. On that wicket, with those cutters and his 145kph pace, you just didn't know what's coming. Alhamdulillah, to be able to score those runs! I was just trying to find a boundary so I was lucky to get those three runs. I hit it into a gap. I guess when it's your day, luck favours you in weird ways.
"I think as an overseas [player], you have to try to perform every game. There will be failures along the way, but the standard of this league is so high, if overseas [players] fail to perform, then the local guys always manage to cover [for them]"
I haven't played the Big Bash and the Hundred, but there are so many T20 leagues now, because of the overlapping, it will be difficult for me to play in all the leagues. If you said that there will be no more cricket from tomorrow, I'd say yes, I have ticked all the boxes.
One of the things I had heard about was the stadium capacity, and every game is house full. It was hard to believe because the capacity sometimes is 60,000 or 90,000. I have not played a game where a single seat has been available, whether in a small or a big city. It has left me in awe, how much the people of India love their cricket and support their cricketers.
I come from a Punjabi background and I can speak Urdu. A lot of the conversations in Zimbabwe are in English and Shona, which is the local language. I don't think I have spoken so much Punjabi in my life as I have done in the last six weeks. At least my Punjabi got polished a little bit.
I think as an overseas [player], you have to try to perform every game. There will be failures along the way, but the standard of this league is so high, if overseas [players] fail to perform, then the local guys always manage to cover [for them]. You will see that even if we fail, we will end up getting 200 runs.
The guy that has impressed me the most is Jitesh Sharma. It would be great if he ends up playing for India. India being so top-heavy, imagine having a wicketkeeper who can bat like him down the order. That's a real plus. I think he has been the player to look out for.
It is so professional in the IPL, believe me, there's very little that's said here. Everybody knows their roles. Everybody is clear about their roles, so when Sam captained, we had very little chat. He'd give me the field that I want, then leave it to me. This has been really great about the IPL that everyone is very clear about their individual roles. Rest of the things look after themselves.
Initially, I didn't know where they were. I knew they were coming to India. Their coach [Prosper Utseya] told me that they were in Mumbai. I was in Mumbai, too, an hour away. We worked out the schedule, and I wanted to make sure to give them an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch an IPL game. I organised the tickets for them.
(Laughs) I have been saying that to everyone. I said, "Guys, I am leaving with one request: please pray that Zimbabwe qualify". I genuinely do believe that the way they looked after me, my team-mates deserve the hospitality too. Quality of cricket, the stadiums, the crowd, the brands, the sponsorship. It is just unreal. I really, sincerely hope my fellow countrymen can be exposed to this. It can only happen if we qualify. Insha Allah, in two months' time [at the qualifiers, which will be played in Zimbabwe], we will book our tickets for India.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84