Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s white-ball captain, backed David Miller to transfer his confidence from the IPL 2022 to the away series against India, saying he is open to talking to the southpaw about his batting position in the national T20 team. Miller had a fantastic IPL season with the bat, as he was a key cog in the Gujarat Titans club, which won the trophy in its inaugural season.
“It’s always good to see guys in good shape.” “We look forward to a man like David collecting the title with the Gujarat Titans and the confidence that he will bring into the team,” Bavuma said at a pre-departure press conference on Tuesday (May 31) before the series against India.
“David has done exceptionally well in the IPL, and I’m confident it will do wonders for his confidence and any feelings of insecurity he may have.” In all of my conversations with David, he has never conveyed those kinds of emotions to me. “David remains an important member of our team, and we are certain that his contributions will continue long into the future,” he added.
The heavy-hitter Miller has failed to score runs for the national squad in limited-overs cricket in recent years. In the IPL this season, Miller batted largely at number five, rather than his normal number six with South Africa, and scored 481 runs with the top average in the league of 68.71 and a strike rate of 143.
“When David has done well throughout the years, there has always been talking about him batting a little longer. He is aware of his place within the group. A discussion in this regard can be had if he believes he can bring greater value in a different role.
“We are not going to suffocate him or restrict David in any way.” That’s how we attempt to treat all of the participants. We aim to put them in positions where they may prosper and contribute to the team’s success.”
Dewald Brevis, another South African who had a strong showing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, should be allowed ‘time and space to polish his game’ before being pushed into international cricket, according to Bavuma.
“To be fair, he hasn’t played in a first-class game.” “It would be reasonable to allow him to play a couple of first-class games where he can really gain an idea of his game,” he said, in terms of expectations but also allowing the youngster to grow inside his game.
South Africa will play India in five Twenty20 Internationals from June 9 to June 19.