After playing a match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, Gujarat Titans batter David Miller expressed gratitude towards his franchise.
Miller’s unbeaten half-century and Rashid Khan’s quick knock helped Gujarat Titans defeat Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in their IPL 2022 match here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday. “For the last 3-4 years, I have been playing really nice cricket. I have been feeling positive and I have been scoring really nicely. Unfortunately, I haven’t played much IPL cricket in recent years as you know that this tournament features four overseas and other overseas players have to miss out,” said Miller in a post-match press conference.
“I sort of found myself in between a place where I am in and out from Kings XI and then Rajasthan Royals. But it’s really encouraging to be a part of Gujarat Titans and I know that I am 100 per cent backed. We have a very nice environment, we really enjoy each other’s success,” he added.
Miller was earlier part of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) from 2012 to 2019. In 2020, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals and stayed with the franchise for two years, before getting picked by Gujarat Titans in 2022.
Coming to the match against CSK, Miller’s sensational knock of 94* was well accompanied by stand-in captain Rashid Khan’s quick innings of 21-ball 40 as Gujarat chased down the target of 170 with a ball to spare.
“I think we were in a bit of trouble but I still think that if we bat for 20 overs then there is some sort of chance. I was just trying to play my game. The way I started my innings I think I did it pretty well and I didn’t want to stop, I just wanted to keep going. At the end of the day, I can’t really control what other batters do and whoever was batting with me, I was just trying to build something with him and see where it goes,” said Miller.
“They had three spinners and I thought that if they bowled well then would bowl all the overs towards me and then they would change to pace bowlers. But the fact is that we took them early on and they were forced to use the pace bowlers and that was pretty much the plan. So, I was just committing to hitting down the ground and then just trying to impose my presence to let them know that I am there to score,” he added.
This is the fifth win in six games for Gujarat Titans, while it is the fifth loss in six games for Chennai Super Kings. GT are currently on the top of the Indian Premier League 2022 table with 10 points while CSK are just above winless Mumbai Indians.