IPL 2024: GT were not losing ‘crucial moments’ in last 2 years – David Miller

Gujarat Titans talisman batter David Miller feels the franchise were not losing the ‘crucial moments’ in the last two years. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, GT won the title in IPL 2022 and made it to the final of the previous season.

GT found a new hero in the big moments of big matches in the last couple of years and things haven’t been the same under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. GT has managed only four wins out of the 11 matches they have played in the ongoing season and they are in ninth place in the standings. Thus, their chances of making it to the playoff are bleak.

The Shubman Gill-led team lost their previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday by four wickets after they were bundled out for a paltry score of 147.

GT kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to achieve any kind of impetus in their batting innings. None of the batters could go past the 40-run mark and could not deliver for the team.

“I think it’s a tough one because, um you know this game of cricket where margins are so small and there are certain games that we potentially should have won that we did lose that. We’re pretty close. And if you win those, you know, if we had one, those two games, things would have been, you know, very different would have been six from 11. Um, you know, now we are 4 from 11, so it kind of behind the eight ball,” Miller, who scored 30, said at the press conference.

“But I feel like the first two years we played, you know, like, we won crucial moments. And this year we’ve been we just haven’t been able to win those crucial moments in the game and hence losing the close games,” Miller further added.

Meanwhile, GT could only manage 23-3 in the Powerplay overs after they were put into bat by Faf du Plessis. But their bowlers were taken for 92 runs in the first six overs by RCB captain and Virat Kohli. Ergo, Miller admitted they lost the game in the Powerplay, both while batting and bowling.

“To be honest, we lost the game, I feel like in the powerplay, batting and bowling. Look, I mean, we were a couple of wickets down for not too many runs while batting, and then bowling. They were on about 90 after 6 overs. So it was tough to, you know, you’re not gonna really win too many games like that, by scoring 150,” Miller said.

“I think taking the positive out of this game, I thought the fight was incredible. You know, being the position that we were with the bat managing to get to 140-150 is, you know, something on the board, and then for them to be what they were in the powerplay, extraordinary powerplay. We had to fight back. The way that we did was really good to see,” concluded the middle-order batter.

The Shubman Gill-led team will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Friday.