'I'm feeling strong. I am feeling fit, and I am feeling ready to go.'
Ahead of his team's first T20I, South African veteran David Miller, who will be returning to the side for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy, expressed his happiness at being back with the side and how the team looks in good space with a huge pool of players delievering stand out performances as the T20 World Cup next year and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2027 draw closer.
The first T20I between India and South Africa will take place at Cuttack on Tuesday. After a 0-2 whitewash loss in Tests and a 2-1 ODI series win, which saw Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli get a big chunk of spotlight, the action shifts to a five-match T20I series with both teams featuring experience and youth in equal parts and looking strong contenders to play each other in the ICC T20 World Cup final once again.
Miller was the game-changing wicket to fall during the 2024 T20 World Cup finals at Barbados, falling to a spectacular catch from Suryakumar Yadav and became perhaps the biggest scalp of Hardik Pandya's career in terms of match situation and how the trophy was at stake.
Since that final, Miller, who will turn 37 next year, has played only 10 white-ball matches for SA out of 54, and his last appearance saw him score a century against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal in March. Since then, Proteas have had a change of white-ball coach, secured the ICC World Test Championship mace, and played some entertaining white-ball cricket in Zimbabwe, Australia and India.
Miller, on the other hand, missed the series against Australia to play The Hundred tournament in the UK and then suffered a serious hamstring injury that kept him away from several months. Now, the veteran Proteas star, famous for his clutch performances in the biggest of the matches, is raring to complete some unfinished business in white-balll cricket.
"It is just great to be back. It has been great watching the guys back at home. Even though I always feel I want to be there, they have been doing so well, and it's been lovely to watch," Miller said ahead of the opening T20I in Cuttack.
"It has been an interesting couple of months for me, just being at home and reflecting on a few things was really cool. I moved into a different space by trying out different things with my body and tapping into a few other training regimes. It was actually a really good time away. I enjoyed it. You have got to take the positives from what's negative so it was really good. I'm feeling strong. I am feeling fit, and I am feeling ready to go," he added.
Miller, who has seen the heartbreaking 2015 and 2023 50-over WC semifinal exits and 2024 T20 WC loss to India in the finals by a narrow margin, feels the Proteas are getting closer to their first-ever major white-ball world title.
"I have spoken to a lot of different people and teams that have been very successful over the years with league trophies and World Cups, and I do not think there is really one recipe to win a World Cup. It takes a team effort, it takes a group effort, management and players included. And it's about standing up when the moments matter," he said.
"Looking back on that previous World Cup where we got to the final, there were some very, very close games throughout that World Cup and we got over the line, so you build confidence as you go along. We are going to need some of that moving forward. In terms of players, there's a huge group and pool of players that are putting up their hands so it is going to be tough for the selectors. We are really in a good space," he said.
Miller said he has not spoken to head coach Shukri Conrad yet, but plans to discuss his potential role in the ODI side and the World Cup in 2027.
"I haven't had good chats yet with Shukri, but now that I am back in the mix, we'll be opening up those conversations and seeing where we're at. The ODI World Cup is just under two years away, there's a lot of new players that have come through and a big pool of players who are doing really well. I feel like I can add something with my experience. In terms of selection, you're never guaranteed with certain things in life, so it's a conversation that will unfold as the months go on and see where we're at," Miller said.
"Obviously, I would love to play a part for South Africa as long as I can, but it's just being real with certain conversations and time. I'm 36 now and I'm feeling that I do have to step up off the field. I'm being a lot more diligent and a lot more consistent in training and being as fit as I can is something that I'm going to focus on a lot. I'm also a lot more in control with my emotions and pressure. I'm a lot clearer in my thinking, making better decisions under pressure and understanding the match situation," Miller added.
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