Delhi-Born Nikhil Chaudhary Selected for Australia T20 Squad – First India-Born Player Since Rex Sellers in 1964

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikhil traveled to Queensland (Australia) to visit his uncle. However, due to the international travel ban, he was stranded there. This compulsion opened the doors of Australian cricket for him. Nikhil started from scratch in domestic cricket there and, through his hard work, became a regular player for Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes legspinning allrounder Nikhil Chaudhary, who was born in India, has been called into his maiden Australia T20I squad as a replacement for the rested Travis Head

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— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 11, 2026

Nikhil played a key role in helping the Hobart Hurricanes win the BBL title. Last season, he scored 307 runs at a strike rate of 153. Interestingly, despite growing up on Indian spin pitches, Nikhil has scored at a blistering strike rate of 180 against fast bowlers in Australia. Playing for Tasmania, he scored a brilliant century against New South Wales and took five wickets against Queensland. He was also part of the Delhi Capitals setup in this year’s IPL.

Although Nikhil does not yet hold Australian citizenship, he holds Permanent Residency (PR), which makes him eligible to play for Australia under ICC regulations. Australian selector Tony Dodemaide said that Nikhil had been under their radar for some time and had impressed everyone with his BBL form. The Australian team will now play in the matches to be held at Chattogram, Bangladesh on June 17, 19, and 21.