Gavaskar emphasized that Miller’s intent should not be questioned.
DC required two runs off the final two balls to secure victory, but the left-hander opted against an easy single after the fifth delivery. Furthermore, he was unable to convert a bye on the last ball as Kuldeep Yadav was run out, thanks to a direct hit by Jos Buttler.
“David Miller was confident in his abilities; he had been hitting the ball well and felt he could finish the game. You can’t criticize that intent. Ultimately, it came down to execution—Prasidh Krishna delivered a brilliant slower bouncer that made it challenging. These situations are defined by very fine margins,” Gavaskar explained to ‘JioHotstar’.
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that having game awareness is essential during high-pressure scenarios, a point that former India head coach Ravi Shastri underscored during the tied Test against Australia in 1986.
In that Chennai match, while India chased 348, Shastri displayed remarkable composure with an unbeaten 48 and importantly took a single at a critical juncture, leveling the scores at 347 before the last batter, Maninder Singh, was dismissed for a duck.
“This highlights the importance of game awareness. It reminds me of Ravi Shastri’s actions during the tied Test against Australia in 1986 when he took a single at the key moment to equalize the scores.
“In this situation (GT vs DC), looking back, a single might have been the better choice for Miller, especially after Kuldeep Yadav successfully did so earlier,” Gavaskar added.
GT is set to face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium on April 12. After starting their season with two consecutive losses, the team will be aiming for a vital victory to build momentum.
(With PTI inputs)
