Ecstatic after powering Kings XI Punjab to an improbable IPl win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, young batsman David Miller said a “nice piece of willow” and a lot of luck carried him through to the best knock of his career so far.
The 23-year-old South African struck an unbeaten 38-ball 101 to guide KXIP home while chasing a mammoth target of 191 against the RCB last night. “I just tried to enjoy myself and play the best cricket I can,” he said after the match.
“The idea was to just get myself in, first 10-15 balls and just if it was there go for it. We needed 12 plus an over,” he added.
Miller did not forget to thank lady luck after recalling the dropped catch by RCB skipper Virat Kohli when the South African was on 41. “I was seeing the ball nicely. I missed a few balls to start with, and was lucky to get a few boundaries with that and obviously getting dropped. So, ride the luck when it was there. I was feeling good though,” he said.
His knock included eight hits to the fence and seven huge sixes and Miller said he has never struck the ball so well in the past. “I don’t think so, no, it was a good bat. It’s really a nice piece of willow.”
Punjab skipper David Hussey, who was also present at the post-match press conference, said the win will lift the team’s morale after a string of losses. “The morale is good...Seeing innings like that gives lot of batters a lot of confidence. At the same time, nothing should be taken away from the bowlers, I think they did a superb job,” he said.
“Praveen Kumar, upfront, continues to show his class. And seeing a partnership like that (between Miller) with Satish was just brilliant and hopefully does give everybody a little bit of lift (and raises chances of reaching the playoff stage).”
Made some adjustments for T20: Pujara
Considered a Test batsman of impeccable technique, Cheteshwar Pujara says he has made some adjustments in his game to adapt to the fast-paced T20 format in the ongoing IPl where he shares the dressing room with destructive batsmen like Chris Gayle.
“I think ultimately the basic technique has to be there even when you want to accelerate. But I think it is about shifting gears at the right moment... My basic technique is the same, and it is just about making little adjustments in the game,” the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, who is back from injury, said.
Pujara said having Gayle in the line-up also takes some pressure off him. “It takes away some of the pressure and so I can play my natural game. So, I can take more time, than what is expected in Twenty20, to settle down and then start playing my shots,” he said.
Pujara returned to the field last night against Kings XI Punjab, who were guided to a win by the individual brilliance of David Miller, who struck a 38-ball 101 in a chase of 190. “We were in the game till the 12th over and after that he started accelerating and then onwards it was his game,” he said praising Miller.
Asked how costly was the dropped catch of Miller by skipper Virat Kohli, he said, “Obviously, it was very costly, but Virat is one of team’s best fielder, so it happens at times. If he had taken the catch things could have been different but things happen in this game.”
“We as a team are playing good cricket, but you also have to give credit to the opposition when they play better than you,” he said.
Asked about his return from an injury and if he found the going any difficult last night, Pujara said, “I think initially the ball was doing a bit, so it was little difficult for me as I was coming back after an injury.”
“I didn’t play cricket for a month, so it was little difficult initially, but once I got my eye in, I could play my shots easily. It was a good wicket to bat on,” he added.