The West Australian, the team’s travelling reserve, was parachuted into the 15-player squad on Monday morning as an injury replacement for Matt Short, who damaged his quad during last week’s washout against Afghanistan in Lahore.

And on Tuesday, he was named in Australia’s starting XI for the must-win clash against India, opening the batting alongside Travis Head.

Connolly, playing just his 10th List A match, had never opened the batting or struck a half-century in the 50-over format, averaging 16.71 across eight knocks. He had previously batted just twice in ODIs, posting scores of 7* and 3 in the middle order.

However, national selectors gambled on the talented left-hander as an opener for the ICC knockout — a decision that backfired after captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first.

Connolly was dismissed by Indian seamer Mohammed Shami for a ninth-ball duck following an amateurish passage of play, where he played and missed six consecutive deliveries before edging the seventh. The Australian’s lack of footwork was a glaring concern, suggesting he wasn’t equipped to handle the swinging ball.

“His misery ends there,” former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said in commentary following Connolly’s dismissal.

“He was really struggling.”

To make matters worse, Connolly dropped a low chance at point during the second over of India’s run chase to hand rival skipper Rohit Sharma an early reprieve on 13.

However, Connolly redeemed himself when Smith threw him the ball in the eighth over, which proved a masterstroke as the spinner removed Sharma LBW for 28, his first wicket at international level.

The 21-year-old was mobbed by his teammates when three red lights appeared on ball-tracking, grinning with delight — and perhaps relief.

“He’ll be feeling a whole lot better about himself, about life, about his ability to contribute,” former England captain Michael Atherton said in commentary.

“It was a real struggle for him at the top of the order … but what a lift he has just been given by getting Rohit out.”

Connolly was considered the closest like-for-like replacement for Short, but wicketkeepers Josh Inglis and Alex Carey have plenty of experience opening the batting in 50-over cricket, both at international and domestic level, while pinch-hitter Jake Fraser-McGurk was another worthwhile candidate.

However, Inglis and Carey are superb players of spin, with their expertise needed in the middle overs on the slow deck, while Fraser-McGurk’s recent form has been nothing short of woeful. Although the reasoning behind Connolly’s selection was sound, the decision to throw him in the deep end as an opener for a Champions Trophy semi-final didn’t pay off.

“That’s what happens when you come into this level,” former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar said during the innings break.

“He’s done well in domestic level, but when you come to the international level, suddenly you’ll find (the standard) is much higher, and the bowling is more accurate, more lethal.”

‘CRAZY’: KOHLI PROVES HE’S STILL THE KING

Virat Kohli timed the run chase to perfection.

India was in a bit of strife at 2-43 before Kohli took control of the contest, calmly steering his team towards the target in a trademark performance. The right-hander didn’t deal in boundaries, rather picking the gaps and rotating the strike to wear down Australia’s bowlers.

He made it look easy.

Kohli only offered one chance during an otherwise flawless performance, scooping a drive towards Glenn Maxwell at short cover in the 26th over — but the Victorian couldn’t hold on.

“For me, it’s about just understanding the conditions, preparing my game accordingly, just rotating strike, because partnerships on this pitch are the most important thing,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

“I wasn’t feeling desperate. I was pretty happy knocking ones around. When as a batsman you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you’re playing good cricket. You know you’re in for a big partnership and settle the nerves down a little bit and head towards chasing the total down.

“This game is all about pressure, especially big games like semis and finals. If you go deep into the innings and you have enough wickets in hand, the opposition usually gives in and then the game becomes easier. It’s very important to control your impulses while the game is going on.”

Kohli’s expertise in run chases is unmatched. He has accumulated 8063 runs in the second innings of ODIs at an average of 64.50. Although his Test performances have dipped over the past few years, Kohli’s white-ball brilliance can’t be denied.

“That’s crazy, isn’t it,” former Australian captain Aaron Finch said of Kohli’s ODI record.

“He is the chase master.

“Just his ability to calculate a run chase, to work out when to take the risk if he needs to take a risk.

“Once he gets in, he’s so hard to get out.”

Highest batting average in men’s ODI run chases

64.50— Virat Kohli (IND)

56.81 — AB de Villers (RSA)

56.50 — Michael Bevan (AUS)

53.92 — Michael Clarke (AUS)

52.80 — Shane Watson (AUS)

* Minimum 30 innings

LEGEND’S PREDICTION COME TRUE AS HEAD-ACHE AVOIDED