Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'When I showed him his stats, he asked, 'is this real?'': Sehwag's jolting revelation on Gujarat Titans superstar
Virender Sehwag revealed his conversation with the Gujarat Titans superstar from a few years ago.
Gujarat Titans registered their second win in as many matches in the 2023 Indian Premier League on Tuesday, when they defeated Delhi Capitals by six wickets. The Titans, who made a winning start to the tournament last week against CSK, continued on their impressive performances as they chased down a 163-run target with 11 balls remaining. Sai Sudharsan was the star of the night for the Titans as he scored an unbeaten 62, while David Miller – who had missed the opening match due to international commitments – also scored a quickfire unbeaten 31 to steer the side to the finishing line.
Miller was crucial to the Titans' title-winning campaign last year; in 16 matches, the left-hander scored 481 runs at an impressive strike rate of 142.73. The South Africa star's brilliant season in the tournament came after a series of disappointing outings in the league; Miller had only 124 runs in nine matches in IPL 2021, when he was part of the Rajasthan Royals. The franchise had largely kept him on the bench in 2020 where he played only one game.
In his long stint with Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) between 2012-2019, he scored over 300 runs in only three seasons. Former India opener Virender Sehwag, who had played with – and coached – Miller during their time at the Punjab franchise, spoke about the South African's poor form at the time while discussing his exploits for the Titans.
“In 50 innings, he had only one double-digit score. When he came to my room and said, 'I'm playing good, my international form is good'. When I showed them the stats, he was shocked. He asked, ‘is this real?’” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“Sometimes, stats can show the reality. No doubt, he had been a good player even then. But sometimes, when they go out of form, even reaching double digits can be hard. That's why, he couldn't be a part of the playing XI in his last year with Punjab,” he further said.
Miller's 481-run season with Gujarat Titans last year was his best outing in the Indian Premier League so far, and the franchise would be hoping for a similar performance from the South Africa star this year. Titans are currently at the top of the league and will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in their third match of the season on April 9.
