AUS vs BAN: Who is Nikhil Chaudhary? Delhi-born cricketer, who was Shubman Gill’s teammate, made his debut for Australia

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 18, 2026

Nikhil Chaudhary Debut: Australia may have decided to give a chance to new players in the first match of the T20 series against Bangladesh. But the one being discussed the most is India-born Nikhil Chaudhary. This 30-year-old Delhi-born all-rounder achieved a special achievement by making his international debut in Chittagong.

Nikhil Chaudhary, who traveled from Delhi to Australia, has now joined the list of select players born in India who have played international cricket for Australia. Before him, Gujarat-born Rex Sellers and Pune-born Lisa Sthalekar had achieved this feat.

Delhi-born Nikhil played domestic cricket for Punjab between 2017 and 2019. During this period, he played 14 matches, which included 12 T20 and 2 List-A matches. Along with him in the Punjab team, there were also players like current Indian captain Shubman Gill and T20 star Abhishek Sharma. However, Nikhil’s cricket career took a new turn when he reached Queensland, Australia in 2020 to meet his uncle. During that time, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and he could not return to India due to international travel restrictions.

Nikhil, stranded in Australia, did not give up. He started playing club cricket and made his mark. During this period, he also did many small and big jobs to meet his financial needs. He cut vegetables in a restaurant, drove a taxi and also did parcel delivery work. But did not give up the dream of cricket. His hard work paid off and he gradually became a part of the Tasmania domestic team and then the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. On the basis of his brilliant performance, he also won the BBL title.

Australian selector Tony Dodemide said that Nikhil was in the eyes of the selectors for a long time. He was included in the squad for the Bangladesh tour after Travis Head was rested.

According to the report of ESPNcricinfo, Nikhil currently does not have permanent citizenship. But having lived in Australia for five years, he became eligible to play for the national team. Now this journey that started from Delhi has reached the Australian team and the story of Nikhil Chaudhary has become an inspiration for young players.