David Miller found himself at the centre of a dramatic finish as Delhi Capitals fell short by one run against Gujarat Titans in a nail-biting Indian Premier League clash.
With two runs needed off the final two deliveries, Miller chose not to take a single on the penultimate ball, keeping strike with Kuldeep Yadav at the non-striker’s end. The decision proved costly as he failed to connect on the last ball, and Kuldeep was run out while attempting a desperate single.
Despite the outcome, Sunil Gavaskar backed Miller’s intent, even while acknowledging the alternative. “Yes, he was backing himself to hit the winning runs, but having seen the way Kuldeep Yadav nudged that ball for a single off the first ball, maybe he should have given Kuldeep the strike,” Gavaskar said. “He should have given the strike. This is all being wise after the event, but the fact remains that the way he had been hitting the previous over and that over as well, he believed that he could do it, simple as that. So you can’t fault him for that. He had the confidence that he could do it, but it didn’t come off because the ball that Prasidh Krishna bowled was an absolutely superb delivery.”
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen also echoed a similar sentiment, highlighting Miller’s mindset in that crucial moment. “I think purely based on the fact that he thought that from that last delivery, he would guarantee to get one at least. And if not one, he would strike it out of the ground because he’s that good at striking the ball out of the ground. So that’s where his mind would have been. Does he want to risk Kuldeep or Kuldeep getting out?” Pietersen said.
He further added, “Yes, they’ve tied the game, and yes, they’ve got the super over, but he thought from that final delivery, I’ll definitely get one. The worst case is one. I’m not going to miss it. Best case, I’ll get a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. That’s where he was at.”
In the end, Miller’s confidence didn’t translate into the result, but the backing from legends underlined that it was a calculated call rather than a reckless one.
