Reaction from Aussie all-rounder on pivotal moment in IND vs AUS Champions Trophy: 'The drop off Rohit was…'

With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable, Mohammed Shami stepped up to lead India's pace attack in the Champions Trophy 2025. The experienced fast bowler impressed with nine wickets in five matches, proving to be a dependable asset for captain Rohit Sharma and the team during the tournament.

In the semi-finals against Australia, Shami bagged three wickets, and then bagged a dismissal in the victorious final against New Zealand. Cooper Connolly, who slotted in as an opening all-rounder against India, as Travis Head was injured, lost his wicket early to Shami during the semi-final.

Also Read: 'Their IPL and T20 cricket has...': Glenn McGrath's cracking take on India's 'unfair advantage' in Champions Trophy

Speaking to reporters, Connolly opened up on his Champions Trophy experience, and revealed his experience on facing Shami.

“As a kid, you always want to represent your country, and to walk out there in a semi-final was an unbelievable experience, and I'll take a lot of learnings from it,” he said.

In the semis, Shami set Connolly up in the powerplay, and then removed him with a beautiful out-swinging ball. “Shami is a world class player for a reason. He's played a lot of cricket,” he said.

“In the end, it was a great game of cricket and I think we took a lot of learnings as a group from that.”

On Rohit Sharma's dropped catch

The match also saw Connolly drop Rohit in the second over. But he eventually removed the India skipper in the eighth over.

“It's the game of cricket. You're going to miss out, you're going to drop a catch – you've got to get on with what's in front of you,” he said.

“That (drop off Rohit) was completely out of my mind by the time I was bowling, I was just trying to compete as much as I could and hopefully get a breakthrough for the team,” he added.

Bumrah missed the tournament after suffering an injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He is set to return during IPL 2025, but will miss the first two weeks due to his lower back injury.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }