"He was chilled about the run chase" - GT's David Miller on batting with Hardik Pandya in IPL 2022 Qualifier 1
Gujarat Titans (GT) batter David Miller shed light on batting alongside skipper Hardik Pandya during their 189-run chase against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). GT sealed a six-wicket win to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 final.
The Proteas ace was adjudged as player of the match for his unbeaten 68 off 38 deliveries. He compiled a 106-run partnership with the GT captain for the fourth wicket and closed out the chase in 19.3 overs.
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After accelerating in the overs leading up to the death, the duo put a price on their wicket and were not concerned about the climbing run rate. With 16 required off the final over, the left-hander struck three consecutive sixes. Pandya remained unbeaten on 40 off 27 deliveries at the other end.
Admitting that scoring just seven runs off the penultimate over bowled by Obed McCoy was not part of the plan, Miller said in a post-match interaction with Shubman Gill:
"I tried to smack every ball as hard as I could in the last three or four overs. It eventually came right in the last over. Hardik is a pretty cool, calm and collected kind of a bloke. He was pretty chilled about the chase."
The duo rose high on the IPL Orange Cap list following their exploits in Qualifier 1. Pandya is now the leading run-scorer for the franchise, while Miller crossed the 400-run mark in a season for the first time since 2014.
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"The atmosphere can be something we can feed off" - Shubman Gill on GT playing the IPL 2022 final in Ahmedabad
GT became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2022 final, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 29. The franchise, based out of Ahmedabad, will see around 100,000 people witness them in the high-octane encounter.
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Excited at the prospect of playing in front of a full-house at the iconic venue for the first time, Gill said:
"Excited at the prospect of playing in a full house Ahmedabad stadium. I have never played with a crowd of over a lakh watching us. So, the atmosphere can be something we can feed off. Hopefully, it will be a great game for us, ending with the trophy,"
Tickets for the IPL 2022 final went on sale on May 20 and were sold out inside two days. This will mark the first IPL contest in Ahmedabad since the first leg of IPL 2021.