When Nikhli Chaudhary got stuck in Australia during COVID-19, little did he or his family back home in Punjab know that the inconvenience would eventually result in him getting called up for the Aussie T20 side in just over six years time.
A former teammate of Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Harbhajan Singh in the state side, Nikhil travelled to Australia’s Townsville in March 2020 for a friend’s birthday, just before borders were closed. Now, the 30-year-old has a chance to become only the third India-born cricketer to have played for Australia, following in the footsteps of Rex Sellers and Lisa Sthalekar.
“When Nikhil decided to play club cricket in Australia months after he was struck there, I was a bit displeased. He had played for Punjab and wanted to don the Indian jersey one day. But he saw himself growing as a professional cricketer there,” his father Sneh Kumar Chaudhary told The Indian Express on Thursday. “Right from his childhood, he was an admirer of the dominance of Australian teams.”
The initial years
Nikhil’s cricketing dreams germinated in Ludhiana — a city his family shifted to in 1997, a year after he was born, to start a construction business. Chaudhary Sr, whose father was a wrestler, took a young Nikhil to train under coach Charanjit Bhangu at the Cricket Galaxy academy in 2007. Initially an off-spinner, the youngster later developed into a leg-spinning-allrounder.
Coach Charanjit Bhangu with Nikhil Chaudhary during one of his visits to Ludhiana at his academy; (Special Arrangement)
“From the day he came to train under me, I was impressed by his physique. He had a very good cricketing IQ. Once during a Punjab U-16 tour to Madhya Pradesh where I was assistant coach, the coach decided to send him as an opener. He had never batted so high but hit a 96. However, he was dropped for the second match. When he returned to the side, he scored 145,” Bhangu tells The Indian Express.
Within five years, Nikhil would make his Punjab debut in a North Zone T20 match against Haryana, before he was handed his List A debut against Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017. He was even named in Punjab’s Ranji Trophy squad but didn’t get a game.
Nikhil Chaudhary could become the first Indian-born man to play for Australia in more than 60 years after being called up for the T20I series against Bangladesh. https://t.co/sp1FLkdvzg
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 11, 2026
A fresh start
Nikhil’s life turned on its head when he took a flight to Australia on March 14, 2020. Within a week, Australia sealed its borders and he would shift base to Brisbane to play club cricket. He also worked at a Mexican restaurant for a few days, before trying out parcel delivery for Australia Post.
“He had to earn money for survival. We only got to know about him working at a Mexican restaurant for a few days, where he cut his finger, much later,” said Chaudhary Sr.
Playing for Northern Suburbs, under the stewardship of James Hopes, Chaudhary scored 266 runs at a strike rate of 169.4 in Queensland’s T20 Max, which eventually led to his selection in the Hobart Hurricanes squad for Big Bash League Season 13.
Nikhil’s niece Jiya with his parents Sneh Kumar Chaudhary and Manju Chaudhary at Nikhil’s room in Ludhiana. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh
He was also a reserve for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, before he was called for the Australian national camp.
“When he visited India during his time with Delhi Capitals, we worked on his batting against bouncers as well as his cut and sweep shots. He regularly watches videos of other spinners too, and observes subtle changes and variations,” said Bhangu.
The Chaudhary household is busy arranging visas for the trip to Bangladesh next week.
“It’s a special moment for us. He is known for his kabaddi-style celebration and we hope to see that in the Australian jersey against Bangladesh,” said the proud father.
