Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It was a bizarre, farcical end to a gripping contest as Delhi Capitals went down to Gujarat Titans by one run here on Wednesday. With two runs needed in two balls, it was David Miller’s refusal to take a single off Prasidh Krishna’s penultimate delivery and his failure to score off the final ball that resulted in an embarrassing loss for the Capitals. Miller quickly went from hero to zero, since it was his innings that had resurrected Capitals’ chances.Capitals’ skipper captain Axar Patel was quick to offer support to the South African by wrapping his arm around his shoulder when Miller was returning to the dugout. “In this type of close game, you can point out anything. But I think in the chase, we could have played smarter,” Axar said.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!DC opener Pathum Nissanka also defended Miller’s move. “We haven’t discussed it yet, but sometimes it happens in cricket,” he said.Until that moment, Miller had almost pulled off the improbable. Having retired hurt on 12, he returned in the 17th over. With 45 needed from the last three overs, he took 23 off Mohammed Siraj in the 19th to reduce the target to 13 off the last over. After Vipraj Nigam fell off the second ball, Miller hit Prasidh for six over long-off on the fourth, leaving Capitals two to win from two balls. Then came the refusal and the collapse.While many criticised the decision, Sunil Gavaskar defended Miller’s intent. “David Miller was backing himself, he had been striking the ball well and believed he could finish it. You can’t fault that intent,” Gavaskar said.
