CHANDIGARH: Cooper Connolly, the 22-year-old Australian allrounder who has turned heads in his debut IPL for the Punjab Kings, embodies a rare blend of youthful swagger and quiet introspection. In a format that prizes power above all, Connolly is sticking to his guns, letting the game come to him rather than chasing the big hits every ball. “I’m pretty keen to stick to my strengths,” Connolly said during an interaction on the JioStar Press Room, his voice carrying the confidence of someone who has already shouldered pressure in all three international formats.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Obviously power is becoming a big part of T20 cricket, but there’re other ways to go around it (too). And that’s going to be me and I’m confident I’m going to get around that.”That approach shone through in Mullanpur in Punjab’s opening game against Gujarat Titans, where Connolly walked in at No. 3 amid a collapse and hit an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls. Across four matches so far, Connolly has aggregated 119 runs at a strikerate north of 152.“I’m pretty happy with the tempo of my game because that’s allowing me to perform the best,” he added.But Connolly is no IPL flash-in-the-pan. Having broken into the Australia national team setup, he has sampled all three formats — T20Is, ODIs and Tests — without yet being boxed into a fixed role. “There is a beauty about playing all three formats,” Connolly said. “It’s a challenge, and it’s going to take some time to understand how I’m going to go between all three formats. I’m still (only) 22.”Sub-continent spin has been his latest classroom, especially after making his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle last year, and now the tracks in India during the IPL. “The wickets, obviously, have been relatively nice so far (in the IPL), so I think it’s just about trying to put the pressure back on the spinners,” Connolly said.
