‘We got outplayed in just one game’

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza was positive about his team’s performance in the T20I series against India. Zimbabwe lost the series but Raza was happy seeing a lot of positives coming out of the series.

In the final T20I of the series, India defeated Zimbabwe convincingly by 42 runs to clinch the series 4-1. Zimbabwe had started the series brilliantly when they shocked India in the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead. But Shubman Gill and his men showed character to bounce back and went on to win the next four games.

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“There has been lot of positives” – Sikandar Raza

After the match, Sikandar Raza looked out at the positives and felt that his team did not play as badly as the scoreline suggested. Raza claimed that Zimbabwe were outplayed in just one game while the rest of the games were closely matched.

“The scoreline doesn’t suggest (our performance). I think we got outplayed in one out of the five games. The other four games have been very competitive. We are still taking our chances. I am always a guy who is looking at the positive things. There has been lot of positives,” Raza said.

While looking at the positives, Raza also accepted that his side’s fielding let the team down, and that allowed India to make a comeback into the game.

“I can’t keep my eyes close on the things that we really need to work on. It’s important to address the fact that we made a lot of mistakes in the field that allowed the opposition to come back into the game again and again,” Raza felt.

The 38-year-old added that his team has the potential to be a good team in the coming time. He also warned his team to improve quickly as the qualifiers for the next World Cup are approaching.

“But if someone asks me would I change my mind about this team, my answer will be no. I think we have all the right ingredients to be a mid-table team very soon. The team needs a bit of care, nurturing, sometimes with a little bit of beating as well with harsh words at times,” Raza mentioned.

“But I think we will get there. We may not have a lot of time. I have seen the fixtures for the qualifiers that are out soon. So we really have to pull up our socks,” he added.

Captain Sikandar Raza reflects on the team’s performance following their four-one defeat to India 📹#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/eyHzrcpaFH

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) July 15, 2024

“It is a blessed position to be in” – Sikandar Raza on being the senior member of the team

When asked whether Zimbabwe is over-reliant on him, Raza responded that it is his job being the most senior member of the team to show the way. He claimed that Zimbabwe have enough depth and quality in their ranks but will need to be more consistent.

“Because I am the most senior guy with a lot of experience. It’s rightly so. It is a blessed position to be in. I don’t think we overly rely on myself. There is enough talent in the change room,” Raza said.

“There is enough quality and confidence among the players to do the job. A lot of us have shown glimpses. We need to make sure that we put those glimpses together in every game as consistently as possible that will allow us to win more games and be a lot competitive in the future,” the allrounder added.