IPL 2016: David Miller feels change of venues is not an issue for Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab skipper David Miller has gone on record stating that the change of venues in the current edition of the IPL would not affect his team’s preparations. NDTV Sports reported the 26-year old airing his views on the scheduling issues in the cash-rich tournament.
Miller asserted, “To be honest, it is not really too much of an issue. We have not discussed or talked about that in our team. But wherever we find ourself if the fixture is changed we will look to let do with it and make it our home. We are not too sure about it right now.”
Taking stock of the water crisis in the drought-hit state of Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court had earlier directed the BCCI to move the matches which were earlier slated to be held in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune.
Despite the board’s best attempts to tackle the situation, it now appears that some franchises will have to adjust to the difference in venues. However, the Kings XI would also have to rebound from the dismal performance in their opening match against Gujarat Lions.
A visibly disappointed Miller accepted, “It was not a good first game. Forget about that, we were 20 runs short and so it became difficult to defend but we prepared well in Delhi. We would look to learn from our mistakes. It was a big momentum swing and then the batters had to rebuild the innings.”
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But, he remained confident about his team’s ability to bounce back. The South African cricketer felt, “We have been here for three days and it was nice to get into the nets. We have become familiar with the conditions.”
He added, “We have worked on few areas and will look to keep it simple. We have done some analyzing on our opponents and we are pretty switched on. We still have 13 games to go, so lets hope.”
Heaping praise on Mohit Sharma's variations, Miller affirmed, “Mohit is a serious addition to the squad this year. He has boosted our attack. He is a great teammate and the younger guys can learn from him. His variations are good. He bowled well in the power play and we are fortunate to have some options in bowling.”
The hard-hitting batsman also shed some light on the fitness woes in his camp. He hoped, “Unfortunately, four of the guys have been down with sickness. Shaun Marsh was one of them, he has been in hospital. But, now he is back and he has been training very hard and let's see how the selection goes.”