Was nervous in the morning… became a hero in the evening, Ricky Ponting's mantra changed Cooper Connolly's game, Punjab Kings' bat-bat

Mullanpur. Punjab Kings batsman Cooper Connolly made his IPL debut against Gujarat Titans and told that coach Ricky Ponting had advised him to play aggressively. Connolly is also eager to learn from captain Shreyas Iyer. Connolly led Punjab to victory by scoring unbeaten 72 runs in 44 balls. He told Geostar, 'I was a little nervous when I woke up in the morning, but it also made me happy. I was waiting for my best performance. He said, 'Ricky Ponting asked me to play calmly and bat aggressively. This was a great team effort. We bowled well which made things easier.

Cooper Connolly said, 'I wanted to learn by batting with Shreyas Iyer. He is a world class player. I have played against him for Australia A and Australia. I will try to learn as much as possible from him. This 22-year-old Australian batsman told that former Australia and Punjab Kings player Shaun Marsh is his idol. He said, 'When I was selected, it was a very good moment. I first spoke to Shaun Marsh and he gave me advice. I have played with him a lot in Western Australia and he is my mentor and role model.

India's great spinner Anil Kumble expressed surprise that Gujarat Titans gave the ball to last season's most successful bowler Prasidh Krishna very late. Prasidh took three wickets for 29 runs in four overs but could not lead the team to victory. Kumble said, 'Prasad, who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2025, did not understand the reason for giving the ball so late in the 13th over. He should have been given the ball between the sixth and tenth overs.