David Miller was on the verge of being the hero for the Delhi Capitals. The conversation had moved on from KL Rahul’s 92-run knock. The Protea batter had turned into the protagonist with his late charge, reducing the equation from 45 needed off the final three overs to two off two. But a nightmarish turn of events in the final two deliveries triggered criticism that cast Miller as the villain.
On the penultimate delivery, Miller guided a shorter, angled-in ball from Prasidh Krishna towards deep square leg. A single was on offer, and Kuldeep Yadav was ready, already halfway down the pitch. But Miller sent him back.
Having scored 41 not out off 19 balls, with three sixes and three boundaries, he backed his instincts to take Delhi over the line. However, Miller was deceived by a slower delivery from Krishna on the final ball. He failed to connect and, this time, went for the single, which could only have forced a Super Over. But Kuldeep was caught inches short of the crease, resulting in heartbreak for the home team.
What followed was widespread criticism of Miller’s no-single call, but Sunil Gavaskar came to his defence. He admitted that, in hindsight, taking the single might have been wiser, but understood Miller’s decision to back himself given his form.
“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. “This is all being wise after the event, but the fact remains that the way he had been hitting in the previous over and this over as well, he believed he could do it. So you can’t fault him for that. The delivery from Prasidh Krishna was superb.”
Fellow commentator Kevin Pietersen felt Miller saw risk in taking the single and putting Kuldeep on strike for the final ball, which influenced his decision to retain strike.
“I think he felt that from the last delivery, he would at least get one. And if not one, he could clear the boundary because he’s that good. So that’s where his mind would have been — does he want to risk Kuldeep?” Pietersen said. “Yes, they could have tied the game and forced a Super Over, but he believed he wouldn’t miss that final ball. That’s where he was at.”
Irrespective of the chatter, captain Axar Patel showed support to Miller moments after the match, as did several Gujarat Titans players who had previously shared a dressing room with him.
