New Delhi [India], May 7 : With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Delhi Capitals (DC) batter David Miller has called for a flawless finish to the season, emphasising that the team now faces a "four from four" scenario to remain in contention.
Speaking ahead of their high-stakes encounter against a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Miller addressed the team's struggles at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and the psychological shift required to overcome a string of inconsistent performances.
"It is four from four. We pretty much need to win now. We have to win four from four to have a chance of qualifying, so it becomes really important," said Miller.
The Capitals have had a horror run at home, having lost four of their five matches at their home base of Arun Jaitley Stadium, including matches which saw their massive 265-run target get chased by Punjab Kings (PBKS) and during which they were skittled out for 75 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), with a fiery powerplay spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood sinking them to 8/6 at one point. Having won four and lost six, they face an upbeat KKR, who have clinched three back-to-back wins after a six-match winless run.
Miller said that pitches have been different game-by-game, but it is the nature of cricket: adapting.
"I mean, it is not impossible to play. I think we scored around 260, then there have been one or two low scores, so it has been a little bit different. But look, that is the nature of cricket. You are always having to adapt to the conditions and what lies in front of you. I think potentially chasing might be an option to see what total you have to score on a wicket that you are not too sure what it is going to do," he added.
Having missed the past two matches despite some fine performances owing to team combinations, Miller said that while missing out on a match is frustrating as a player, it is how IPL goes, with only four overseas players allowed and Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc back in the playing eleven.
"So I have been around, this is not my first IPL, so I kind of understand the make-up, and just really to give positive feedback to the rest of the squad, always being positive and giving what I can towards the team remains really important for me. And then just waiting for my opportunity to come again, if it does come around for the rest of the season or not. I just want to remain ready, prepare really well, that is what we players like to do," he added.
Miller hailed the skillset of modern T20 batters, having evolved himself as a batter with the rise of T20S in the early 2010s. Despite all the massive changes in batting tempo, Miller keeps trust in what he is adding to DC as a veteran finisher.
"It is wonderful to see the skills that the batters possess. In terms of scooping and playing straight and all these shots, I think it becomes very individual as to what your strengths are and what you prefer to do. Some guys like to be a bit funky and change the position of the fielders through certain shots," he said.
"And I suppose then conditions come into play, whether you can play it or cannot play it. All these things are very in the air, so it is just about making those decisions along the way. But most certainly with where the game is going, the mindset and mentality around batters nowadays has definitely gone to another level."
"For someone like me, it is just about making sure that my skills and what my strengths are is to keep them really strong. And back what has worked for a long time, trust myself in that process. And although a lot is going around with where the game is moving, believing that what I have is still very much adding to the team," he concluded his point.
On the team's inconsistent performances, he said that the team has not lacked in one particular area, but has let themselves down as a unit in "little phases here and there".
"And when the opposition teams are really strong and competitive, you really have to be on your game at all stages because any team can beat anyone. Bottom of the table or top of the table, it is really competitive," he added.
Miller also acknowledged the team's poor performances with the bat, "having lost wickets in clusters," which puts them in a position of rebuilding.
"I think with the batting, it is pretty clear that the games that we have not done too well, we have lost wickets in clusters. Two, three, four wickets quite closely. And it puts us into positions where we have to rebuild and then obviously try and get a competitive total. Then there are moments here and there where we have dropped a couple of catches that potentially could have changed the outcome of the game," he said.
The team unity stays intact through tough phases, saying that "win or lose, they are together".
"And there is no pointing fingers at all with what we have done. We are all in it together. The reality is we have got four games to win. So if we do that, then we are putting ourselves in a good position," he concluded.