"It kind of just got written off" - David Miller reflects on his lean IPL run
Gujarat Titans' designated finisher David Miller admitted that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a fickle tournament, especially for overseas players, given several options within the squad. The left-handed batter reflected how a few poor seasons forced franchises to write him off.
Miller, who started his IPL career with Kings XI Punjab in 2012, enjoyed his best season last year. Playing for the Titans, the South African crafted several cameos on his way to 481 runs in 16 matches at 68.71. He also kept a strike rate of 142.71 as the Titans lifted the trophy.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Miller said it's challenging to sit out of matches or be forgotten about due to a few low scores. The 33-year-old revealed that he overcame his poor run by training harder and always had the self-belief, stating:
"I wouldn't say professional sport is easy. It can be very challenging and tough at times, especially in a tournament like this where there's so many overseas players in one squad and if you don't really do well in one season, you're kind of just forgotten about."
"Outside of the IPL, I've done really well internationally, domestically - it's just the IPL, where that one bad season that I had, I kind of just got written off. I knew what I was capable of. It was just a matter of getting a really good run and opportunity, so I trained really hard and tried to become a better player."
The Proteas batter managed only 531 runs in 32 matches between 2016-2019. He played nine games in the 2021 edition, but scored only 124 runs, striking at 109.73.
"Never really felt that I've been poor against spin" - David Miller
Speaking of his approach against spinners, Gujarat Titans' David Miller expressed his confidence and never felt they could get on top of him. However, he suggested that mindset plays a significant role, adding:
"I've never really felt that I've been poor against spin, but it's definitely an area that I've needed to work on and as the years have gone on I've definitely focused a lot more on it. The biggest thing for me is just the mindset rather than technical faults and stuff like that, but I'm probably looking to play more on the back foot than the front foot."
"Playing spin… I'm feeling a lot better, and not feeling that they can bog me down. I've got my boundary options, I've got my one options and then it's just about going out there and trusting that preparation that you've had with the mindset."
Gujarat Titans will face the Rajasthan Royals on Friday, May 5, in an away game, and will be aiming to emerge victorious after losing the reverse fixture.