Cooper Connolly and Tanveer Sangha came into Australia's playing XI vs India | AP/Cricket Australia
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Australia made two changes to their playing XI
- Australia have six spin bowling options
- Australia won the toss and chose to bat first
Australia have made two changes to their playing XI for the blockbuster 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final against India with Cooper Connolly and Tanveer Sangha coming into the playing XI in place of Matthew Short and Spencer Johnson.
Steve Smith confirmed the changes after deciding to bat first as India extended their dubious world record and lost their 14th consecutive toss. Connolly replaced Matthew Short in the playing XI, who is injured. Connolly was added in the squad on the eve of the match in place of Short, who suffered an injury during Australia's washed-out clash against Afghanistan.
Who Is Cooper Connolly?
Connolly walked out to open the batting but can also bowl left-arm spin. He is playing only the fourth ODI of his career after making his debut against England in Bristol last year. Before today's game, he has played three ODIs and scored 10 runs and taken no wickets.
Connolly has also played one Test match and scored four runs. The 21-year-old has played two T20Is and never got the chance to bat. He has not taken any wickets in international cricket so far.
Connolly plays for Western Australia in domestic cricket and Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. So far in his career, he has played 25 BBL matches in his career and has 577 runs at an average of 38.46 and strike-rate of 136.72 with two half-centuries. Connolly has also taken 12 wickets.
Connolly failed to leave a mark with the bat as he was dismissed for a nine-ball duck by Mohammed Shami.
Who Is Tanveer Sangha?
Like Connolly, Sangha has also been introduced in the playing XI after playing just three ODIS for Australia. The wrist spinner has come in place of left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson. Sangha has taken just two wickets in his career. He has played 7 T20Is for Australia.
Interestingly, he has played 1 ODI and 5 T20I against India in his career in which has taken five wickets. The 23-year-old plays for Sydney Thunder in the BBL and New South Wales in domestic cricket. Sangha has also made a mark by playing for the Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred and Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket.
Sangha is of Indian origin and his family hails from a village near Jalandhar in Punjab. However, the spin bowler was born in Sydney.
He is also the second Indian-origin player to play for Australia after Gurinder Sandu.
Australia's Tit-For-Tat To India?
While India has picked four spinners in their line-up, Australia have six spin bowling options in the line-up with Adam Zampa and Sangha as specialist spinners alongside Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Connolly.
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