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Talented South Africa left-hander David Miller's career has been on the upswing after his spectacular 38-ball hundred for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore during the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League in 2013 and he admits that his stint in the T20 league 'has made him a better batsman'.
- IPL 8 Schedule
Asked if he feels any difference for the better as he starts his third season in IPL with Kings XI Punjab, Miller replied in the positive.
"Yeah definitely. I feel I have improved as a batsman. I have learnt to do the right things and that adds to my confidence. But I won't call myself a finished product. I am still lucky to be learning everyday in my endeavour to get better," Miller said on Wednesday.
For Miller, one of the positives from playing in the IPL has been that it has helped to improve his batting against spinners.
"IPL is a big tournament and performing for KXIP gives me a huge high. Over the past few seasons, I have learnt to assess various situations and play accordingly," said the left-hander, who has played 71 ODIs and 31 T20 Internationals for South Africa.
Miller believes the advantage for KXIP is that they have retained the same core group of players, which finished as runners up last year.
"The key will be about sticking to the basics. Our advantage is having the same team. It helps in preparing the strategy as you know the strengths of your team. We have to follow up our last year's performance with an even stronger show this time. We will also have to manage our training sessions well," opined the stylish southpaw from KwaZulu Natal.
The two most destructive T20 batsmen -- AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis -- will also be plying their trade for RCB and CSK respectively but 25-year-old Miller feels that there is no competition between him and the two other senior players.
"AB and Faf have both performed really well in IPL over the years but I am focussing on my own gameplan. I wish both of them well for their respective franchises. I don't want to put myself under any undue pressure with comparisons," said Miller.
On the personal front, Miller is carrying the confidence of having done decently well in the World Cup with a total of 324 runs in eight matches at a decent average of 54, which includes a splendid innings of 138 against Zimbabwe.
"I am really confident about my form and hope to do well but then cricket is a funny game. For me, the key will be to remain switched on in every single game, follow my own gameplan and the will to do well," Miller said with a note of caution.
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