After a 2-1 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh, Australia kick-started the T20I leg of the tour on Wednesday in Chattogram as they are looking for the wheel of fortune. After being put in to bat in the opening match of the three-game series, the Aussies granted international debuts to uncapped duo Nikhil Chaudhary and Joel Davies.
Australia has had several players of Indian origin in the international cricket team, including Gurinder Sandhu and Tanveer Sangha, but no Indian-born men’s player has been selected for the national team since the 1960s (when Gujarat-born leg-spinner Rex Sellers played in the 1964 Calcutta Test). Lisa Sthalekar, born in Pune and adopted by Australian parents, was a star player for the Australian women’s team in the 2000s.
Chaudhary‘s debut is a significant milestone, as he becomes only the third India-born cricketer to represent Australia at the international level and the first male cricketer to do so. On Wednesday he scored 18 runs from 13 balls as Australia won the match by 4 wickets.
Chaudhary, is not an Australian citizen but is a permanent resident and fulfils the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) eligibility criteria to play for his adopted country. Born in Delhi, Chaudhary has played 14 limited-overs matches for the Punjab state team alongside players like Harbhajan Singh, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma and also appeared for trials with the IPL team Mumbai Indians.
Nikhil, a menacing batter against pacers
After the India-born cricketer got selected, Australia selector Tony Dodemaide said, “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.”
Interestingly, despite being a right-handed batsman who grew up on spin-friendly pitches in India, Chaudhary has proven more effective against fast bowling in Australia. His strike-rate in the last BBL season was 180 (higher than his entire BBL career strike-rate of 161), while his career BBL strike-rate against spin is 118.
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