Out front for Australia, Travis Head misses the T20I games versus Bangladesh. Time away approved for private reasons. In comes Nikhil Chaudhary, handy with bat and ball. Should he take the field in Chattogram, the 30-year-old might mark a rare moment – first player born in India to wear Australian colours since the early sixties.
Right now Chaudhary turns up for JB Bruges in Belgium’s EUT20 league, yet his path shifts Friday when he meets Australia’s white-ball team in Dhaka. Though he hung around the Delhi Capitals during IPL 2026, inclusion never came. Training filled his days – always ready if someone pulled out.
Right now, spots in the middle batting lineup stay hotly contested. Chaudhary finds himself alongside others knocking on the door for a T20I spot. In the mix too are Joel Davies and Aaron Hardie, both inside the group vying for chances.
That strong showing in the Big Bash caught the selectors’ eye, especially how he performed toward the end of last summer, which opened the door for his inclusion. Time spent around Australia’s limited-overs setup last month, during their prep for Pakistan, gave Nikhil a close look at the environment – now he’ll soak up more while on tour in Bangladesh; come next week, once decisions are made about the first T20, he could find himself named in the match-day lineup, noted selector Tony Dodemaide.
The most recent cricketer born in India to represent Australia – his name comes up when tracking cross-border careers in the sport.
Only a few cricketers with roots in India have worn the Baggy Green lately. Yet someone actually born in India hasn’t played for Australia since Rex Sellars, from Gujarat, stepped onto the pitch during the 1964 match in Calcutta. If A Chaudhary takes the field, it would quietly shift something long untouched in the game’s story down under.
Who Is Nikhil Chaudhary?
Chaudhary came into the world in Delhi, then stepped onto the field 14 times in shortened games for Punjab. Teammates he lined up beside? Names like Harbhajan Singh, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma filled those spots. A test run with Mumbai Indians slipped in just prior to his journey westward – to Australia.
That trip to Queensland shifted everything after borders shut down during the outbreak. Stuck there, he chose to stay rather than head home. Playing cricket mattered too much to quit. Work came first some days – different gigs just to get by. Still, he kept showing up for matches whenever possible. Then slowly, chances started appearing beyond local fields.
Opening doors at the Hobart Hurricanes came through ex-international all-rounder James Hopes, setting the stage for Chaudhary’s rise within the team. His presence mattered during the club’s BBL 14 championship run. Last season saw him hit form like never before with the bat – totaling 307 runs while striking at 153. That number tells its own story.
