Nikhil Chaudhary has earned his maiden Australia call-up for the T20 International (T20I) series against Bangladesh, Cricket Australia (CA) announced on June 11 (Thursday). This puts Chaudhary in line to become the first India-born player to play for the Australian men’s side since Rex Sellers in 1967. The 30-year-old, who is currently part of the JB Bruges side in the EUT20 competition in Belgium, will link up with the squad in Dhaka on June 12 (Friday), ahead of the first T20I on June 17 in Chattogram.
The Delhi-born all-rounder comes into the side for Travis Head, who withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons. Moreover, Mitchell Marsh is expected to be fit for the three-match series after he was ruled out of the ODI leg. As a result, Josh Inglis was named captain.
A star at Hobart Hurricanes
Chaudhary has been impressive over the years during his stint with the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL). He played a huge role in helping the Hurricanes win their maiden title in 2025, smashing 307 runs at 30.7 along with a strike rate of 153.
A talented leg-spinner, Chaudhary has 16 T20 wickets to his name, with nine of them coming in the BBL. With the emergence of Rehan Ahmed and Rishad Hossain, Chaudhary’s bowling skills have not been utilised much over the last couple of seasons.
Why was Chaudhary picked?
“The panel has been impressed by his BBL form, particularly last season, leading to his addition to the squad,” selector Tony Dodemaide said of Chaudary, who trained with Australia’s white-ball group before they left for Pakistan last month.
“Nikhil will gain invaluable experience in Bangladesh and will be in contention to play his first game for Australia when we sit down to pick a team for the opening T20 fixture here next week.”
Chaudhary is also believed to have spent time with the Delhi Capitals (DC) side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this season and has also had a trial with the Mumbai Indians in the past. He will compete with Joel Davies and Aaron Hardie for a place in Australia’s XI.
Australia T20I squad vs Bangladesh: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa
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