David Miller is feeling "really good" after completing a redemption of sorts by smashing 6, 6, 4 off Romario Shepherd in the final over to help Delhi Capitals close out a tense chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Miller admitted that he was "disappointed" when he couldn't take DC over the line against Gujarat Titans when they needed two runs off two balls ten days ago.
"It feels really good, to get one for the other night," Miller told the broadcaster after the win, "was disappointed a couple of games ago, but to get ourselves back in that position, feels good to get over the line.
"It's always going to be there at the back of the mind until you actually win another game. I'll take it."
The chase went down to 15 needed from the last over and Shepherd gave just two singles on the first two balls before Miller got strike again with 13 required off four balls. Miller then smashed the ball over midwicket and the covers before hitting the winning runs.
Miller came in with DC needing 42 off 25 balls as captain Axar Patel retired hurt due to cramps. As it turned out, it made way for a match-winning 45-run partnership between Miller and Tristan Stubbs, but the start wasn't fluent. There were breaks in play and RCB's bowlers landed their yorkers consistently. Stubbs' message to "keep your intensity high" switched Miller on.
"Batting where I did, there was a lot of stop and starts this game. It felt like you couldn't get going, and then there was break in play a lot of times," Miller said. "Mind's got a bit scrambled, but when I walked in there, Stubbo said to me, 'keep your intensity really high.' For me, that helped a lot, which kicked me into a good frame of mind.
"First six balls [I faced], they bowled well, six yorkers to me and I couldn't get going, but chuffed that it came off in the last six balls."
The game finished on the second-last ball, but the plan for DC was to finish an over earlier. RCB's bowlers were accurate but there was a boundary each in the 18th and 19th over when the asking rate was over 12 an over. Miller and Stubbs also ensured that there were no dots after the 17th over, which meant DC were one or two boundaries away from clinching the game.
"We were trying to finish it in the second-to-last over, but we needed 40-odd runs [41] in the last four overs, we always knew there was one, two sixes within a six and back-to-back fours and the bowler's always under pressure from there," Miller said. "I was just trying to limit the dot balls, and when the boundary ball comes, you capitalise. It was trying to stay calm, keep communicating with the partner and take it deep as we go.
"It's always good finishing off games with Stubbo. He just said, 'thanks so much, you saved me there.' He batted unbelievably well, anchored the innings all the way through. He's got a great technique and he's powerful. Him being there was massive for us. Coming in when I did, you gotta take the lead and try and be more on the aggressive side. But just, job well done."