Reeling from a historic 2-1 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh, Australia began the T20I leg of the tour on Wednesday in Chattogram with an eye on a swift turnaround. After being put in to bat in the opening match of the three-game series, the visitors handed international debuts to uncapped duo Nikhil Chaudhary and Joel Davies.
Chaudhary‘s debut is a significant milestone, as he becomes only the third India-born cricketer to represent Australia at the international level. Before the spin-bowling all-rounder, only Rex Sellars, who was born in Gujarat, and Lisa Sthalekar, who was born in Pune, had gone on to play international cricket for Australia.
The 30-year-old moved to Queensland during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since worked his way into
the national setup.
Born in Delhi, Chaudhary played domestic cricket for Punjab, where he shared the dressing room with several future India stars, including current Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill and T20 specialist Abhishek Sharma. He played 14 matches for Punjab from 2017 to 2019 including two List A games and 12 T20s.
Chaudhary went to Queensland to visit his uncle in 2020, but the travel restrictions meant he wasn’t able to return home following which he began pursuing cricket in Australia.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Chaudhary currently holds a temporary work visa which is valid till 2027. While he doesn’t have a permanent residency, he became eligible to play for Australia thanks to living in the country for five years.
He has won Big Bash League (BBL) with Hobart Hurricanes and plays domestic cricket for Tasmania.
Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said Chaudhary has been on their radar for some time now and a spot opened up in their T20I squad after Travis Head was rested.
“Nikhil has been a player of national interest for some time. He was a standby player for this (Bangladesh) tour, joining the squad at pre-season camps in Brisbane and comes in as a replacement for Travis Head. The panel has been impressed by his BBL form, particularly last season, leading to his addition to the squad,” Dodemaide said.
