In a game decided by the finest of margins, David Miller is perhaps the one questioning his decision the most after Delhi Capitals’ heartbreaking one-run loss to Gujarat Titans.
In a moment that will be debated for a long time, the experienced middle-order batter turned down a single on the penultimate ball, choosing to back himself with two runs needed from the final delivery. However, he failed to connect with Prasidh Krishna’s slower ball, and a desperate attempt to sneak a run saw Kuldeep Yadav run out by Jos Buttler, sealing a dramatic win for GT.
While some may view Miller as the villain of the result, his effort throughout the chase told a very different story – one of resilience, courage, and belief under immense pressure.
Miller had endured a difficult outing physically. He first injured his right hand while fielding and later aggravated the issue while batting, forcing him to retire hurt in the 13th over. But in a remarkable show of grit, he returned to the crease with a taped hand when his team needed him most.
Despite the pain, Miller almost pulled off the impossible. He smashed an unbeaten 41 off 20 balls, bringing Delhi back into the contest and reducing the equation to two runs off two deliveries in the final over.
The decision to refuse the single, however, became a defining moment.
India legend Sunil Gavaskar acknowledged that while the safer option may have been to give Kuldeep the strike, Miller’s approach was understandable.
“Yes, he was backing himself to hit the winning runs, but having seen the way Kuldeep Yadav nudged that ball for a single off the first ball, maybe he should have given Kuldeep the strike,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.
“He should have given the strike. This is all being wise after the event, but the fact remains that the way he had been hitting the previous over and that over as well, he believed that he could do it. So you can’t fault him for that. He had the confidence that he could do it, but it didn’t come off because the ball that Prasidh Krishna bowled was an absolutely superb delivery.”
Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop described Miller’s decision as a high-risk gamble.
He noted that the South African “wanted to finish the match himself”, calling it a move that “could have gone either way” but ultimately did not pay off, even as he praised Miller’s composure under pressure and his ability to fight through injury.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen also backed Miller’s thinking, suggesting the batter was confident of at least securing a single off the final ball.
“I think purely based on the fact that he thought that from that last delivery, he would guarantee to get one at least. And if not one, he would strike it out of the ground because he’s that good,” Pietersen said.
“That’s where his mind would have been. Does he want to risk Kuldeep getting out? He thought from that final delivery, I’ll definitely get one. The worst case is one. Best case, I’ll get a boundary or more.”
In the end, Miller’s gamble did not come off. But in a format where matches are often decided by split-second decisions, his call was less about error and more about belief – belief that, on another day, might have scripted one of the greatest finishes in IPL history.