"Wasn't picking a thing at all" - Mark Boucher on David Miller looking clueless against spin in IND vs SA 2024 1st T20I

Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Mark Boucher observed that David Miller appeared clueless against spin during their 61-run loss to Team India in the first T20I on Friday, November 8. The retired cricketer also opined that the Proteas failed to exploit that subtle help from the pitch.

With Miller and Heinrich Klaasen batting in the middle overs, the pair struggled to hit boundaries in pursuit of the 203-run target. The duo also perished in the same over to Varun Chakravarthy, denting the home side's hopes significantly.

Speaking to JioCinema, the 147-Test veteran particularly recalled the 11th over bowled by Ravi Bishnoi when Miller played five consecutive dots before taking a single.

"David Miller wasn't picking a thing at all. I mean, there's one over there where I think he missed four out of the six deliveries he faced. So yeah, he was bowled really well tonight, and it just goes to show two quality spinners. There was something there for the bowlers on that wicket. Something that South African bowlers could not exploit," Boucher said (via India Today).

The very next over saw Klaasen smear a maximum on the second delivery. However, Chakravarthy had Klaasen (25) holing out to long-on, followed by Miller (18) miscuing it to deep square leg.

"He changed the seam up" - Mark Boucher on Ravi Bishnoi's variations

Mark Boucher. (Image Credits: Getty)

Boucher went on to point out how Bishnoi muddled his seam up to extract help from the surface. The 47-year-old added in the same interview:

"I was watching a couple of his (Ravi Bishnoi) balls come out a little bit different and I think what he did really well tonight, especially in the dark, is he changed the seam up. Sometimes you look at the ball, especially as a wicket-keeper as well. You look at the ball and see if you can see it spinning different ways. But he muddled his seam up very nicely."

The two sides will move to Gqeberha for the second T20I on November 10, Sunday.