Milestones don't exist for me; says PBKS's Raza after hitting first IPL fifty against LSG

Shah Rukh Khan asked Zimbabwe player how is he feeling after scoring his first IPL half-century, to which Sikandar said that people made a huge thing about fifties but for him millstone doesn't exist as it is more important for him to win the match for the team.

"People made a huge thing about the fifties, for these milestones don't really exist, for me every run counts, I ask myself what are the differences between 49 and 50 or 50 and 51. So what I look at is; did I win the game, did I contribute to the winning of the game or most importantly did I take the game forward," Sikandar Raza said in a video posted by IPL's Twitter handle.

Sikandar also said that his first priority was to play Mark Wood's over as he was a real threat.

"And, when I went out there, I realized that to me to take the game forward was to try and bat mark wood's over because he was the threat," Sikandar said

Shah Rukh in his two matches has hit his first ball for a six, and reminding him that Sikandar asked what is up with him on hitting the first ball to six

"I knew it was Mark Wood's last ball, I was just ready to drive him off the front foot, I was just instinct, I have been practising and coming into good positions. As far as it comes I would take it any day" Shah Rukh said.

Sikandar and Shah Rukh revealed the reason behind their names. And the story is quite interesting and emotional. Sikandar told that his name was named after his uncle who passed away while Shah Rukh's family was fan of actor Shah Rukh Khan and hence he was named after him.

"My name comes from the uncle who passed away just before my birth and I took his name basically," Sikandar Raza said.

Shah Rukh Khan said, "I was the first boy born in the family, I was born in 1995 and "Baazigar" movie was released in 1993-94, so they were the fans of Shah Rukh fans, my mom wanted me to name Shah Rukh, and that is the reason for my name."

Sikandar Raza asked Shah Rukh about the brilliant footwork to take some amazing catches, he also hinted that did it come with the name 'Shah Rukh'.

Replying to that Shah Rukh told, "I am not light under my feet, though, I was under pressure when the ball went up the air, especially in Nikky's (Nicholas Pooran), the other catches also I took in the boundary but in Nikky's catch I had butterflies in my stomach

Purchased by PBKS at his base price of Rs 50 Lakh, Raza has scored 79 runs in four matches so far at an average of 19.75 and a strike rate of over 127. He has also taken two wickets for his side. Raza earned his IPL contract after superb white-ball performances in 2022, which saw him get included in the ICC ODI and T20I teams of 2022.

Sikandar Raza had a stellar year with the bat and also contributed significantly with the ball in T20Is. He was at the centre of all things good that happened for Zimbabwe Cricket during the year, with the all-rounder putting in one brilliant performance after another in the shortest format.

Not only was he the leading scorer for Zimbabwe with 735 runs, with five half-centuries but he also led the wickets chart for them, scalping 25 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.13.

He was the Player of the Tournament at T20 World Cup Qualifier B in July and carried his form into the marquee event, winning the Player of the Match thrice, including Zimbabwe's epic win over Pakistan in Perth. In the tournament, he scored 219 runs in 8 matches, with one fifty. He also took 10 wickets in the tournament. They finished in the 11th spot in the tournament.

In ODIs, Raza aggregated 645 runs at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 87.16, making two fifties to complement three centuries.

With the ball in hand, Raza was ever-reliable, scalping eight wickets while giving away just more than five an over.

Coming to the match, LSG posted 159/8 in their 20 overs after being put to bat first by PBKS. KL Rahul found form, scoring 74 in 56 consisting of eight fours and a six. Kyle Mayers (29), Krunal Pandya (18) and Marcus Stoinis (15) made some other notable contributions for their side to help them reach a modest total.

Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS, taking 3/31 in his four overs. Kagiso Rabada also took 2/34 in his four overs. Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza and Harpreet Brar took one scalp each.

In chase of 160, PBKS was reduced to 75/4, with a counter-attacking knock coming from Matthew Short (34 in 22 balls with five fours and a six). A half-century from Sikandar Raza (57 off 41 balls with four boundaries and three sixes) and Harpreet Bhatia (22) kept the game alive for PBKS.

A cameo of 23* (10) balls from Shahrukh Khan helped PBKS clinch a two-wicket win.

Yudhvir Singh was the pick of the bowlers for LSG, taking 2/19 in three overs. Mark Wood took 2/35 in his four overs. Ravi Bishnoi also got two scalps while Krisnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya got one wicket each.

Raza clinched the 'Player of the Match' award for his match-winning all-round show.

With this win, PBKS has jumped to the fourth position in the points table with three wins and two losses in five matches. They have a total of six points. LSG is in second position with a similar win-loss record, but they have an inferior net run rate which puts them below toppers Rajasthan Royals.

Brief Scores: LSG: 159/8 (KL Rahul 74, Kyle Mayers 29, Sam Curran 3/31) lost against PBKS: 161/8 in 19.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 57, Matthew Short 34, Yudhvir Singh 2/19). (ANI)