David Miller, Gujarat Titans (GT) batter opened up about his approach during the 189-run chase alongside captain Hardik Pandya in the IPL 2022 Qualifier 1 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Proteas ace was the star of the show after leading the new franchise to the final with an unbeaten 68 off 38 deliveries.

Coming into bat in the tenth over, GT was placed at 85-3 at the Eden Gardens. The left-handed batter took a while to find his groove after scoring just 10 of his first 14 deliveries. He eventually made up for his slow start and sealed GT’s qualification in style with three consecutive sixes in the final over off Prasidh Krishna.

David Miller Admitted He Was A Little Nervous Before Successful Run Chase

David Miller smoked an unbeaten 68 off just 38 balls to help the Titans chase down a 189-run target with seven wickets and three deliveries to spare. The win took Hardik Pandya’s side to the all-important title decider, where they will await the winners of Qualifier 2.

Playing at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in Qualifier 1 between Gujarat and Rajasthan, David Miller hit three sixes in the first three balls of the last over to take GT over the line, in what turned out to be a tense game in the IPL playoffs.

Admitting that he was nervous over the course of the run chase, David Miller said in a post-match interaction with Shubman Gill: “I was a little nervous, to be honest. But, Hardik kept saying let us just play good cricket shots and keep hitting the gap.

“As you saw, he was not running too fast, I enjoy running between the wickets pretty hard. But, it ended out working pretty well, it was a fast outfield, so hitting the gaps was the best call.”

The GT skipper, too, remained unbeaten at the other end. Coming into bat at No.4 following the unfortunate dismissal of Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya finished with an unbeaten 40 off 27 deliveries.

On a track that was two-paced, Rajasthan Royals rode on opener Jos Buttler’s 56-ball-89 to post 188 for six in 20 overs, which seemed like a winning total considering the pressure of the occasion. But Hardik Pandya (40 no off 27 balls) and David Miller (68 off 38 balls) added 101 runs in exactly 10 overs to seal the deal with three balls to spare.

David Miller Feels Special To Be In IPL 2022 Finals

Electing to bowl first, GT ended up conceding 188 in the first innings. Rashid Khan restricted the run scoring on a batting surface, conceding only 15 runs off his four overs. The rest of the bowling attack went for runs while poor fielding was also attributed to the mammoth score.

In reply, despite losing home-town hero, Wriddhiman Saha, to a 2 balls duck, former KKR batter Shubman Gill took charge in the powerplay. The youngster scored 35 off 21 deliveries on his former IPL home ground.

In Qualifier 1, Gujarat opener Shubman Gill got run out on the 4th ball of the 8th over after getting involved in a horrible mix-up with Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade. Shubman Gill’s innings ended at 35 runs of 21 balls, including 5 fours and 1 six.

Acknowledging the performances of his teammates en route to the final, David Miller said: “An unbelievable feeling to be honest, 12 years of IPL and this is the second time I’ve qualified.

“It does not come around too many times, to be honest, but it feels special to be in the final and to take the boys over the line was cool. Seriously good team performance if you think of all individual contributions.”

The Proteas batter will be making his first IPL final appearance since 2014 while Shubman Gill will play his second consecutive final. GT will face the winner of Qualifier 2 in the final in Ahmedabad on May 29 (Sunday).