Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has lavished praise on Cooper Connolly after Punjab Kings registered a three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans at New Chandigarh on Tuesday. The Australian all-rounder scored a match-winning knock of 72 runs off 44 balls in the run chase of 163.

Batting at number three, the left-hander scored five fours and as many sixes as he scored at a strike rate of 163.64. PBKS lost four wickets in quick succession as they slipped from 110-2 to 118-6, but Connolly kept his calm to take his team over the line in the run-chase.

Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “When Punjab picked Cooper Connolly in the auction, they had one thing in mind: this is a player who can do two roles. He can take up the No. 3 batting role that Josh Inglis was handling, or he can deliver what they expected from Glenn Maxwell as an all-rounder. He has already done the first job. Coming in at No. 3, he played an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls in the opening match and won the game with some outstanding batting. So in that sense, he has lived up to the team management’s expectations.”

Pathan noted that Connolly played GT talisman spinner Rashid Khan with soft hands, which is not how most Australian batters bat.

He concluded, “What impressed me the most was how he waited for Rashid Khan and then whipped a short ball. That shows he is not a typical Australian batter. Usually, Australian players play with hard hands, but Connolly has soft hands. When you have soft hands, you can play spin much better. Yes, he might face challenges later when the ball turns more, but loose hands allow you to maneuver the strike effectively. I believe even our Indian players should work towards developing this ability of playing with soft hands. That was the most impressive aspect of Cooper Connolly for me.”

Punjab Kings will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Friday.