All-rounder born in India gets into the Australian squad after Travis Head has pulled out from T20Is vs Bangladesh
Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : The Indian-born all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary has been called into the T20I squad of Australia following Travis Head's withdrawal due to personal reasons. Chaudhary is poised to be the first Indian-born to play for Australia since 1964.
The Australian opening batsman Travis Head has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match T20I series against Bangladesh after taking personal leave. All-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary has been called in to replace him in the squad. In doing so, if selected for the matches in Chattogram, the 30-year-old will become the first India-born to represent Australia in more than 60 years.
The Delhi-born all-rounder currently features in the EUT20 competition with JB Bruges in Belgium and will join Australia's white-ball group in Dhaka on Friday. He had been training as a potential replacement with IPL 2026 outfit Delhi Capitals but was not included in their playing XI.
The middle-order line-up appears to be a hotly contested area and Chaudhary is among the few who could gain a spot in the T20I squad along with Joel Davies and Aaron Hardie.
'The panel has been impressed by his BBL form particularly last season which has earned him a place in this squad. Nikhil will gain valuable experience playing in Bangladesh, and he will certainly be a contender for a potential debut for Australia when we discuss the selection of the side for the first T20 international at the venue next week,' said selector Tony Dodemaide about Chaudary, who also trained with the Australian white-ball squad prior to their departure for Pakistan in the last month.
Who is the last Indian-born player to represent Australia?
While Australia have had several players with Indian ancestry in their side in the recent years, an Indian-born man has not represented the nation since Gujarati-born leg-spinner Rex Sellars who represented the nation in the 1964 Test match in Calcutta. Therefore, a Chaudhary debut will mark a significant occasion in Australian cricket.
Who is Nikhil Chaudhary?
The Delhi-born player represented Punjab in 14 limited-overs matches, sharing the dressing room with Harbhajan Singh, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma. He was also tested with Mumbai Indians before moving to Australia.
The former international all-rounder James Hopes was instrumental in opening the door to the Hobart Hurricanes, where Chaudhary quickly established himself as a key part of their success in BBL 14. He played a role in the title win and has just had his best year at the crease, scoring 307 runs in 153 runs.
