The Fizz! Enough said, perhaps. No bowler has generated as much interest as Mustafizur Rahman in recent memory. The left-arm pacer from Bangladesh is known for his speed, swing and a plethora of variations, the most prominent of which is the cutter. Blessed with a wise head on his shoulders, he honed his skills at tennis-ball cricket tournaments back home. Hailing from a small town called Tetulia, the 22-year-old has worked very hard to get this far. His older brother is his sounding board. Just like Mr Ramakant Achrekar used to take a young Sachin Tendulkar from one ground to another in search of match practice, Mokhlesur Rahman did the same for his brother. In a freewheeling interview, Mustafizur opens up on a variety of topics. Read on…

You grew up in Tetulia in southwestern Bangladesh. Tell us about your early days in cricket…

From the very beginning, I was more inclined towards sports than studies (smiles). In fact, I was good at football as a kid. I didn’t play much cricket back then, but I was interested in the game. I used to accompany my brothers to the local grounds where we played cricket. Initially, I just used to field. I wouldn’t get a chance to bat or bowl. I used to play with these older boys. I also played in school. I played a lot of tennis-ball cricket whenever I got the opportunity. I used to go to play local tennis-ball tournaments with my friends. That’s probably where I started off.

Speaking about your tennis-ball cricket days, you eventually started playing for RP Sangha and then went on to play for Ganamukhi Sangha. Talk us through your journey as a club cricketer and eventually the Under-16 level…

Back in those days, a lot of people from Satkhira (his district) used to play in the Dhaka Premier League. They were all like elder brothers to me. Gradually, I developed a good rapport with one of them. That person then told my brother that I was a promising player and that he would tell him when there was an age-group trial. Then, I eventually started playing at these clubs. I practiced at Ganamukhi Sangha for a while. I slowly started practising with cricket balls and things started to go well for me.

Your brother has been a big influence in your life. He used to ride his Bajaj Discover bike every day to take you to play cricket. Talk us through that experience…

As I said, I wasn’t very good at studies. But when I wanted to play, he was very supportive. He used to take me to play. He used to be like, “Keep your books here, let’s go play” or he would be like, “There is a game at this time, do come”. Even today, if he finds a video of someone bowling well, he sends it to me and gives me counsel. He always tries to advise me on how to get better and improve as a cricketer.

Tell us about your early days in international cricket…

In the beginning, not too many people knew about me. So, it was difficult for batsmen to read me. Nowadays if I bowl today, tomorrow everyone has video footage to study and decode what I am doing. In the beginning of my international career, I was relatively unknown. It worked in my favour.

Where were you on auction day? On the back of your performances in 2016, a lot of teams that wanted your services. After a bidding war, MI finally secured your services. What do you have to say about this?

I did not watch the auction because I had a game that day. My coach that eventually told me that I had been picked by MI. Obviously I was very excited that I had been picked by a team like MI.

You have been here in Mumbai for about a week. It’s early days, but could you take us through your initial experience interacting with the management and teammates?

Whoever I have spoken to has been very helpful. They are always ready to help and improve your game. I am keen to learn and finetune my game. I openly talk to them about the problems I face, and I ask them what I could do to improve on these areas. There are a lot of players of my age. And there are a lot of seniors. All in all, it’s been a good experience so far.

You have been causing quite a stir on social media ever since you landed in Mumbai. Your fans back home as well as the MI Paltan is very fond of you. What’s your message to them?

People love me because they see what I do every day. I will work hard and try to make them happier and would hope that they love me even more. Now I have come to play for Mumbai Indians and I would want them to all come together and support the team. Not just Mustafizur but support the entire team. That is what I hope for.