David Miller and Dewald Brevis rescued the Proteas with a major partnership after they had slumped to 20/3 within the Powerplay.
Image: AFP
David Miller’s method before going out to save the Proteas from troubled starts is to find ‘the positive’ out of the situation.
Miller rescued the Proteas from 20/3 inside the first Powerplay and helped the team to a decent 187/7, a total that saw them win the match by 76 runs in the end.
Top-order batters Quinton de Kock (6), Aiden Markram (4), and Ryan Rickelton (7) lost their wickets inside the opening four overs of the match, as India’s Arshdeep Singh (2/28) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/15) got the new ball to talk in Ahmedabad.
Miller explained that before he went to bat on Sunday, he found the positives out of the situation, allowing him to be in the right state of mind before going out to attempt yet another rescue, as he had done many of them in the past.
“Batting in the middle order, you don't often get a huge opportunity and be able to bat long periods of time. So, when the team (is down), I actually really enjoy it,” Miller said.
“You don't want to be in trouble, but I do find the positive out of it and it allows me to make a play. So, it's really cool to be able to put in a performance like that.
“In those situations, 20/3, it's just about making sure that you're really in good positions and not necessarily loose. That's how I approach it and making sure that my intent is really good. You have to be able to put the bad balls away and then it applies pressure on the opposition.
"So, I thought we did that really and we were going at a good rate. And then just trying to keep that momentum going. We knew that we had Stubbs and Jansen and Bosch in the shed, so it allowed us to keep that momentum going."
Despite scoring a sparkling 63 off 35, the veteran added that it was not a one-man show, and that other players in the team stepped up and carried the team over the line.
“It took a team effort. The guys bowled phenomenally well tonight and then Stubbo coming in at the back end there and scoring the quick 40, which was massive in the context of things.”
South Africa handed India their second-ever biggest T20I loss at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, a feat that will put the team in good stead ahead of their clash against the West Indies later this week.