David Miller: 'I'm in awe of Dhoni's chases. I want to finish games like he does'
The former Kings XI Punjab batsman on moving to a new franchise, working on regaining his form and rating himself as a finisher
Miller on his 89 not out in a losing cause: "If you're going at a 150-200 strike rate and you still happen to lose the game then it's just unfortunate" • Rajasthan Royals
It varies from game to game. Being in the middle order, you are always going to come in in different situations, differing scenarios. I think it's about adapting as quick as possible and knowing exactly what your role is when you walk in to bat. Whether you need 12 an over, 14 an over or whatever it is, you need to adapt to that position as quickly as possible. Being in the middle order, because the game unfolds before you bat, you have a good idea of what the conditions are going to be like. Just to sort of give yourself the best chance in order to win a game, you have always got to take calculated risks throughout your innings, and I make sure I'm staying positive in my movement, calling, running etc.
I haven't had any discussion with [Royals head coach] Andrew McDonald so it's more just preparing and hitting balls and getting back to the swing of things, as I haven't hit balls for a good few months. It's about getting your body going, getting the feet going. In terms of plans and roles and stuff, we're yet to get into that.
"Right now it's more about making good friends and building relationships. IPL has a huge space for that, where overseas players can get to know each other on a personal level"
I've played in Dubai for some time now [preparing]. It's certainly not like any other conditions I've played in before. I feel like I'm pretty well prepared. [I had] two to three weeks before to come and think about exactly the way I'm going to go in this year's IPL. I'm really excited for it and I think the conditions are normally very good. It's going to be set for a good IPL.
I think there is a natural sort of journey. You always start off as a youngster and you find your feet in the team, and then as you get older you get a lot more responsibility as a senior player, performance-wise and in many different aspects. I think that's a journey that we're all on. I really enjoyed it there, I had some great, great memories and it certainly was a good time. But looking forward to Rajasthan [Royals] and creating some memories and new moments here.
It's just the way the cookie crumbles, I suppose. In the sense that against RCB there were definitely some moments that went our way - I got dropped on 41 and then we went on to win the game. The 89 not out, I think if you're going at a 150-200 strike rate and you still happen to lose the game then it's just unfortunate. I think in both games we needed 13-14 an over, so it is definitely hard to win a game like that - you're going to lose more than you win. Just, against RCB things went our way a little bit more, I probably hit more boundaries that day.
I think we're all very different in the way we think we play. I absolutely love the way Dhoni goes about his business. Certainly his calmness - you just think he's always under control. The way he portrays himself, that's something he's extremely good at and I do enjoy that about him. I try and give off the same energy. But in terms of an actual chase, he's got his strengths and weaknesses as a batsman and so do I. I tend to be in awe of some of his chases rather than "I want to bat like him." I suppose I just want to finish games like he does. Technique-wise and the way you go about it, we all have our own ways. I don't think I can rate myself or put myself in a category. We'll see how my career unfolds and finishes and then we can look back and sort of judge. Definitely Dhoni is one of the best finishers ever; he's proven it many times. I love watching him play.
I haven't been playing. The last couple of years I haven't been playing for Kings XI. I suppose that's one of the reasons why I haven't been winning games as well. But in terms of consistency, I feel I'm better than ever before. I'm a lot more experienced now. I know what I'm expected to do. On the international stage I feel like I'm doing really well. In the IPL I had one bad season for Kings XI - and when I say bad season, it wasn't as good as the previous ones that I had. It wasn't a horrific season, to say the least. In the IPL there are only four overseas players [in the playing XI] and there are often seven to ten overseas players in the squad. There will always be players who are going to miss out, and if you happen to not have a great run, you sort of lose that position and you just don't play. I missed the boat the last couple of years in terms of playing and I think it's created a thing that I've not been playing well. The games that I've played in, I have contributed.
Definitely. I feel I'm very experienced, very well put together in my mind and a lot calmer. I'm still learning - everyone learns along the way. I'm certainly very excited about the latter part of my career and really looking forward to putting on some big performances. I've certainly got a lot to offer.
AB and I being so close together in the Proteas side, we used to bat together often and I was fortunate to be sharing the dressing room with him. He's very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed observing how he prepared, how he went about his business for South Africa. He's always open for chats and advice and stuff like that. I've had some good chats from him and certainly want to learn from him.
Definitely. Being around for a long time, responsibilities come on and off the field as a senior player. Not many guys get the opportunity to captain. I feel like I can offer a lot more, even by not being captain, behind the scenes with youngsters and leading by example at training and matches.
I think overseas we've got some world-class players, so I'm really chuffed to be rubbing shoulders alongside them. To bat with Ben Stokes would be great fun, and I know the way he plays the game. He's a match winner, he's dynamic, so to share the crease with him would be great.
Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo