Best innings of my life, says Miller of Mohali mayhem

Mohali, May 7 (IANS)

Kings XI Punjab batsman David Miller has rated his unbeaten 101 of 38 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as his best innings ever.

“Probably, it is the best innings I have played. It is the fastest I have ever played, and definitely the most enjoyable one,” Miller told to IPLT20.com.

Miller’s knock of 101 not out off just 38 balls gave the Kings XI an unlikely victory against Royal Challengers at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here Monday.

The hosts were in deep trouble with the score on 64 for four, and the 191-run target seemed improbable. Miller, though, produced a heroic innings to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

Talking about his innings he said, “Nothing much was really going through my mind when I came in to bat.”

“We still needed 12 runs an over, and it was quite a lot of runs to get. And I suppose it allowed me the freedom to do what I did, which is just clear the ropes and not have too much pressure. So, it was really enjoyable,” he added.

In 2012, he featured only in a few IPL matches scoring a total of 98 runs with an average of 32.66 while this season he has already scored 352 runs with an average of 117.33.

However, Miller said his batting approach has remained the same.

“Nothing much really has changed with my batting (compared to last IPL). In 2012, I came in for only six games and then was off. I think now getting the freedom of playing a few more games is really nice to know, mentally. And it is just one of those things where I am actually loving my cricket at the moment,” he said.

Even after his blitzkrieg innings, Miller rates Chris Gayle as the biggest hitter.

“Gayle is by far the biggest hitter ever and a great batsman as well. He is good to watch,” he said. “We have got another game in Bangalore and that should be interesting.”

After this win, Kings XI Punjab are back in the hunt for a playoffs spot.

“We have got to win, I think, four out of five games. So, there is obviously still a lot of games to play. We have just got to try and win it all,” Miller said.