May 5th 2024.
Bengaluru has been a challenging place for young Shubman Gill as he takes on the role of captain for the Gujarat Titans. Despite their past success as champions in 2022 and runners-up last year, the team is currently struggling at ninth place in the standings under Gill's leadership.
However, senior player David Miller has come to Gill's defense, praising the 24-year-old for his efforts in adjusting to the captaincy. "We all know that Shubman is an exceptional player, but he is still young and has a lot to learn. Nevertheless, I believe he is adapting well to the responsibilities of being a captain," Miller said during a post-match press conference after the Titans' loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Miller also noted the absence of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who is recovering from an ankle surgery, as a contributing factor to their struggles in the Power Play. "Shami was a key player for us in the Power Play, picking up wickets and maintaining a low economy rate. We definitely feel his absence in that aspect of the game," he added.
Indeed, the Titans' performance in the Power Play has been lackluster this season. In their match against RCB, they leaked 92 runs while defending a modest total of 148. On the other hand, their own batting in the Power Play has been the lowest among all teams this season, with a run-rate and strike-rate of 7.54 and 118.43 respectively.
Miller acknowledged that the team has struggled in both aspects of the game at the start of the innings. "RCB's bowling lengths were better than ours, and we were unable to find our rhythm. By the time we settled in, they were already scoring at a rapid pace," he explained.
Reflecting on the Titans' performance this season, Miller admitted that they have not been able to win crucial moments in close games, something they excelled at in the past. "There were a few matches that we could have won, but ended up losing by a small margin. If we had emerged victorious in those games, our situation would have been completely different. We need to improve on winning those key moments," he expressed.
Overall, it has been a challenging season for the Gujarat Titans, but Miller remains optimistic about their potential. "We have a talented team and have shown in the past that we can win tight games. We just need to work on our performance in crucial moments and I believe we can turn things around," he concluded.
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