"That was completely out of my mind" - Australian all-rounder's honest admission after dismissing Rohit Sharma in 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal
Australia all-rounder Cooper Connolly has opened up on his redemption battle with India captain Rohit Sharma in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal. Notably, the 21-year-old dropped Rohit early in the contest (second over) but finally got him out via lbw dismissal for 76 in the knockout match. The youngster said that drops are part and parcel of the game but expressed his delight at coming back stronger and getting his wicket.
Cooper Connolly told ICC:
“It's the game of cricket. You're going to miss out, you're going to drop a catch – you've got to get on with what's in front of you.”
“That (drop off Rohit) was completely out of my mind by the time I was bowling, I was just trying to compete as much as I could and hopefully get a breakthrough for the team,” he added.
Connolly returned with figures of 1/37 in the semifinal clash against the Men in Blue.
On the batting front, the left-hander also failed to deliver with the bat in the absence of regular opener Matthew Short (injured). The left-arm spinner said he would take it as a learning curve while pointing out the challenges of facing Mohammad Shami, who dismissed him for a nine-ball duck. He said in the same interaction:
“As a kid, you always want to represent your country, and to walk out there in a semi-final was an unbelievable experience, and I'll take a lot of learnings from it.”
“Shami is a world-class player for a reason. He's played a lot of cricket. In the end, it was a great game of cricket and I think we took a lot of learnings as a group from that.”
Led by Rohit Sharma, eventual winners India beat Australia by four wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal.
“It was a dream come true” – Cooper Connolly on representing Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy
Cooper Connolly further expressed his gratitude to play for Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy. He said (via ICC):
“Getting my Baggy Green and then to play a game in the Champions Trophy, it was a dream come true … hopefully there's plenty more to come. I felt like it wasn't really a surprise. I felt like if I was going to play, I'd earned my opportunity.”
“I guess it's just about concentrating on what's in front of me at the moment, not looking too far ahead, and just trying to enjoy playing cricket and hopefully put some scores on the board. Hopefully work on my bowling a bit and get an opportunity again. Obviously getting a little taste of it makes you want it more,” he added.
Meanwhile, Australia will next play against South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June later this year.