Confident David Miller talks about his craft of hitting sixes

David Miller made himself a known entity in world cricket through his big hitting abilities. The South African batsman likes to keep things simple and believes in the philosophy of hitting the ball as far as possible if the ball is in his range.

The 26 year-old from Pietermaritzburg in Natal has enjoyed plenty of success in the limited-overs format, both for South Africa and for his IPL side Kings XI Punjab where he was appointed as the captain.

Miller will be one of the Proteas’ key batsmen when they launch their World T20 campaign next week in India. However, after a long and tiring travel, Miller was in jovial mood when he fielded questions during an open session on Friday evening.

The left-handed batsman was particularly surprised by the kind of reception he and his team received when they toured India last year.

He said, "We were actually surprised with the reception we got here last time. Everyone knows that India is passionate about cricket. Everyone here loves cricket, but the support we got was awesome. Fans enjoy good cricket, so that's what's needed every time we go out to play,"

It didn’t take long for the questions to switch to his six-hitting abilities and Miller happily elaborated on this art that thrills the fans all over the world. He jokingly said, "Oh, that's a complete secret. I would not let them out," before getting serious. He added, "It involves a lot of practice. I have worked long and hard on my game. At the end of the day, it's about confidence and belief. Knowing where my areas are, where the bowler is going to bowl them, studying them minutely, it involves a lot of things."

Miller had already hit 78 sixes in 82 ODIs and 42 T20Is but it’s his IPL record which makes him one of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball. In 47 IPL matches, he has notched up 70 sixes.

Getting your basic right is the most important thing: Miller

He explained, "A lot of it boils down to getting your basics right. Once that's in place, your confidence takes over, and once you have made up your mind, you have to back your instincts without worrying whether the ball will cross the boundary rope. After all, if you are going to hit sixes, you can't afford to worry much."

Miller also praised teammate AB de Villers and Caribbean Chris Gayle for their six hitting talents. He said, "There's Chris Gayle who makes it look very easy. Then there's AB de Villiers who can hit it anywhere in the park. Power hitting, the lap shot, he can play them at will and that makes him very dangerous,"