• Home
• /
• Sports
• /
• Cricket

Exclusive: Individual performances can make a big difference, writes David Miller

Dubai - The execution has been precise and everyone now seems to be more aware of what they need to do

T20 cricket is all about the highs and lows of the game, it’s got its own ebbs and flows. Against Punjab though, it was something else. There was just so much going on. As a cricketer being part of the sport, you just never stop believing, no matter what the situation, you believe that you can always win the game. Going through the overs now, I remember Riyan’s over going for sixteen, and I thought to myself then that we’d lost the game. Punjab at that point were batting nicely and, sitting on the sidelines, some of us had gone into the game-analysing mode. Thinking about what we did wrong and how could’ve we done things differently to maybe alter the result of the game. We were thinking this and the game somehow got down to the last over, and the rest as they say is history.

It was an unbelievable last over from Tyagi. I think for him to pull off something like that, at his age is very special. All credit to him and to the work that he puts in every day at training. To hold your nerve in that sort of a situation and to execute your skills to such perfection is a whole different ball game and it was wonderful to see him step up in such a tense situation. I hope he can continue to deliver for us in such situations further in the competition.

I think all of us are going to remember that over for a long time. However, at the same time, we must not forget the penultimate over that Mustafizur bowled for us. His over was equally important if not more at that stage to simply keep us in the game. He’s someone who’s time and again showed what he’s capable of and what he can do in such situations. He’s been an amazing bowler for Bangladesh at the international level and once again proved his quality in a complicated situation.

In the last three overs, I felt that all of us just came together as a team, held our nerve, executed well and just believed that we could win when it came to those crunch moments.

Being one of the senior pros in the squad, I’ve felt that there’s been that pinpoint focus in our training sessions, from the first phase in India through to our current sessions here in Dubai. The execution has been precise and everyone now seems to be more aware of what they need to do. For me personally, it all comes down to the training and how precise the guys are in what they intend on doing. It is a very comforting position for us as a team to see that sort of performance coming after being behind the game and to win it like that.

Talking of our next opponents, I think Delhi are a seriously good side and have had some wonderful performances this season. However, it’s a T20 game, and no matter how strong the opposition is, if you’re up for the game, are mentally switched on and want it more than the opposition, it will happen for you. That’s just the nature of T20 cricket. It takes one or two players to come through and have a game-changing impact.

Individual performances can make a big difference in this format and hopefully one of our batters and bowlers can come good on the day and have a match-winning performance.

My role in the squad? Well, having played the game for a substantial amount of time now, I feel be it on or off the field, I have a lot to contribute to the team’s cause.

Off the field, I feel that I can, through my personality and my experience, bring about a calming effect on the boys, especially the youngsters. On the field, as I have said before, I want to win. Give my best, no matter what my batting position is and the situation of the game. Batting in the middle order, especially in T20 cricket you’re always going to have to adapt to different situations and scenarios. That’s my aim on the field, to overcome whatever’s thrown at me and put my best foot forward for the team and help the team win.

South African batsman David Miller plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL