Sunil Gavaskar Gives Blunt Verdict On David Miller After DC's Narrow Defeat To GT In IPL 2026: 'This Is Where Game Awareness Becomes Crucial'

IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans registered a thrilling last-over finish against Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 match, securing a one-run win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Speaking on JioHotstar, the former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and former England batter Kevin Pietersen spoke about the final over, Rashid's return to form, and the key moments that shaped the outcome.

Chasing a big target of 211 runs, DC were on the verge of victory with two runs needed in the last two deliveries, and David Miller was on strike. But Miller denied a single on the penultimate delivery of the final over and took the strike on himself. He missed the final delivery, and Kuldeep Yadav got run out by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler while stealing a single.

Gavaskar spoke about David Miller's decision in the final over and said, "This is where game awareness becomes crucial. It reminds me of what Ravi Shastri did in that tied Test against Australia in 1986, taking a single at the right moment to level the scores. In this case, in hindsight, a single might have been the better option, especially after Kuldeep Yadav managed one earlier."

"But David Miller was backing himself; he had been striking the ball well and believed he could finish it. You can't fault that intent. In the end, it also came down to execution. Prasidh Krishna bowled a superb slower bouncer at the right height, which made it difficult. These are very fine margins in pressure situations," Gavaskar said.

GT's Rashid Khan was named Player of the Match for his bowling figures of 17/3. He took the wickets of Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi and Axar Patel at crucial stages of the match.

Pietersen assessed Rashid Khan's performance and said, "Rashid Khan was outstanding. It's always good to see him back close to his best because by his own standards, he would expect more from himself. Having said that, I don't think Gujarat Titans' bowling as a whole was at its best, and they didn't close the game out particularly well. But that's the nature of the game, you'll have more tough days than good ones."

DC will face Chennai Super Kings in their next match on Saturday, whereas GT will take on LSG on Sunday.