His wife's parents had roots in British India; his mother-in-law hailed from Delhi and his father-in-law from Karnal, Haryana.

[6] An admirer of Rajasthani architecture, he asked Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali Dada to design his Lahore house on the pattern of Jaipur's Rambagh Palace.

[11] When he got his first opportunity to play in a Test match, against England, Raja's performance was unimpressive, as he was dismissed for 1 run in each innings.

However, with the retirement of several players in the Pakistan squad and with the help of his years of experience in first-class cricket, Raja was able to secure a spot in the national side.

[12] He played international cricket for 13 years, appearing in 57 Test matches, with a career average of 31.83 and scoring two centuries.

This became the pinnacle of his cricketing career, as within a year of this triumph, he had lost form and was dropped from the national side.

He has also worked as the chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, but resigned from his job in August 2004, citing increasing media commitments.