South Africa batter David Miller, whose dismissal in the last over of the T20 World Cup final turned the tide in India’s favor, has opened up for the first time since the loss.
Taking to his Instagram, Miller wrote, “I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swalllow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don’t explain how I am feeling. One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit.”
It was only the first time that South Africa men’s team had made it to a World Cup final, but not the first heartbreak time they’d suffered a loss in the knockout stages of a big tournament. The Proteas have made it to seven ICC tournament semifinals before. Miller himself was part of the team that lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup semifinal last year in India, as well as the side that was bested by New Zealand in the 2015 semifinal.
The swashbuckling batter however, believes that the current team can get over the misery of their most recent loss. “This journey was an incredible one, with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have endured pain, but I know this team has the resilience and will keep raising the bar,” he wrote.
Chasing 177 in the final, South Africa were the favorites to win at one stage but the Indian bowlers made a comeback late in the game to see the game through.
Miller, who was batting at 21 in the last over, was caught at mid-off by Suryakumar Yadav – a stunning effort by the ropes to pull the ball back in time.
Speaking to The Indian Express in a recent interview, Surya had opened up about what went through his head in those seconds. “My mind was clear that kaise bhi karke pakad he lena hai (come what may, have to catch it). Rohit bhai usually never stands at long-on but at that moment he was there. So when the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me,” Surya said.
For South Africa, it was their first and only loss of the competition, having bested Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, England, West Indies, and Afghanistan en route to the final.
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