Opinion Miller’s thriller method
David Millers match winning 101* in 38 balls against Bangalore on Monday made batting look really simple
David Millers match winning 101* in 38 balls against Bangalore on Monday made batting look really simple. As simple as the maxim his father drilled into him as a kid If its in the V,its in the tree; if its in the arc,its out of the park. Not just in Mohali but also against Pune Warriors (80*),his wagon wheel attested to his zones remaining restricted from wide long-on to extra cover.
Most batsmen find success when they play to their strengths and Miller has a great eye to pick up the line and length of the deliveries early. This he puts to use through that slight movement square of the pitch. Staying back,he shifted his front foot out of the way and made room to dispatch RP Singh,Ashok Dinda and Vinay Kumar who angled it into him,over long-off,long-on and extra cover. Twenty two of the 26 runs off one RP Singh over came in the V.
Against the spinners too,there is a specific pattern to his batting. The first ball off a slow bowler,Miller jumps out of his crease,whether to block for a dot or knock it for a single. There may not be too many runs,but it does not allow the bowler to settle. It was in evidence when he faced from Rahul Sharma. The South African stepped out to knock the leggie for a single. When he came back on strike in the same over,Rahul Sharma fired it flat and short and this was pulled for a boundary. The pattern repeated when he took on Murali Karthik.
His century at Mohali was the third fastest in the in the IPL but his methods are different from the likes of other big hitters like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. While Gayle stays still and in the crease,and De Villiers moves across and sideways in the crease to improvise,Miller is somewhere between the two,makes those necessary movements that accentuate his strengths.
There are,of course,differences too. De Villiers,through his improvisation,scores as many boundaries behind the wicket as in front of it,unlike Miller. Gayle is rarely bothered by the short ball while the South African,predominantly a frontfoot player,has been troubled by the stuff aimed at his body.
(Sidhhartha is a senior correspondent,based in New Delhi)
siddhartha.sharma@expressindia.com
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