Nikhil Chaudhary scripted history on Thursday (June 11), becoming the first Indian-born male cricketer in over 60 years to be named in an Australia squad after earning a call-up for the T20 tour of Bangladesh.
The three-match series will be played in Chattogram from June 17 to 21. Chaudhary has been representing JB Bruges in the EUT20 competition in Belgium and was part of the Delhi Capitals squad in the recent IPL. He will join Australia’s white-ball squad in Dhaka on Friday.
“The panel has been impressed by his BBL form, particularly last season, leading to his addition to the squad,” selector Tony Dodemaide was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “Nikhil will gain invaluable experience in Bangladesh and will be in contention to play his first game for Australia when we sit down to pick a team for the opening T20 fixture next week,” he added.
Aussie cricketers with Indian origin
“Australia has had several players of Indian origin feature in international cricket, including Gurinder Sandhu and Tanveer Sangha. However, not since the 1960s, when Gujarat-born leg-spinner Rex Sellars played in the 1964 Calcutta Test, has an Indian-born man represented the national side,” the website stated.
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Lisa Sthalekar, who was born in Pune, played women’s cricket for Australia and is counted among the greats of the game. Sthalekar debuted in 2003 and went on to play across formats till 2013.
Chaudhary’s extended stay
The 30-year-old Chaudhary is not yet an Australian citizen, but as a permanent resident, he meets the International Cricket Council’s eligibility criteria to represent his adopted nation. The Delhi-born all-rounder played 14 List A matches for Punjab in his country of birth.
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He was visiting an uncle in Queensland when his stay was extended by the COVID-19 pandemic-induced shutdown in 2020. During his time in Australia, he took up odd jobs, including working as a postman, before catching the eye of former Australia all-rounder James Hopes, who introduced him to local cricket.
Impressive BBL performance
“After helping Hobart to the BBL|14 title, his best season with the bat came last summer, slamming 307 runs at 30.70 and a strike-rate of 153, although he had a reduced role with the ball due to the recruitment of fellow wrist-spinners Rehan Ahmed and Rishad Hossain,” cricket.com.au reported.
Australia current T20I squad includes Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, and Adam Zampa.
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