CHENNAI: Cooper Connolly, the latest Australian signing of Punjab Kings in the recent IPL auction, is keen to challenge himself against the best in the world. "Everyone goes to this tournament (IPL) because it's probably going to be the most competitive. And also looking forward to getting over there and challenging myself against some of the best bowlers in the world," the left-hand batter from Australia said in a virtual media interaction on Monday.
"Yeah, it's very different to Australia. We've obviously got some fast, bouncy wickets. But that challenge of playing spin is a challenge that is tough for everyone. So, it's just about picking the brains of people that have done it for a long period of time and understanding how they go about it, I guess, add their method into my game and see how I can sort of play in those spinning conditions."
While Connolly, who usually bats at No 3 for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League, said that he is open to bat anywhere PBKS needs him. "I feel like I'm still learning the role at number three for the (Perth) Scorchers. It's a role I enjoy. But if the role in the IPL is different, that's totally understandable because it's a world class team. To just be in the middle order would be sort of a nice opportunity just to sort of knuckle down and get to work in the middle order," he said. "I like to model my game on being able to be versatile in any position. So whether that's at three, whether that's in the middle, I'm happy to perform any role," Connolly added.
For someone who has made his List A and T20 debut in 2023, Connolly has come a long way since. The 22-year-old has played one Test, eight ODIs and six T20Is for Australia and is slowly becoming a household name in white-ball cricket in the last three years. "I think over the last three years, it's been about understanding how different the international level is. It's about adjusting to that, understanding how bowlers are trying to get me out more and how I can counter that," he said, before adding, "I've had to earn the right to be in the Australian set-up. So it's about learning from guys like Travis Head, Steve Smith, how they go about it and how they sort of train to all those standards. I'm just trying to tweak my game slowly and add more strings to it as I move forward."