Who Is Nikhil Chaudhary? All You Need to Know About the Indian-origin All-rounder Who Has Set BBL on Fire

An Indian-origin player, Nikhil Chaudhary has been garnering attention since his recent performance in the Big Bash. Playing for the Hobart Hurricanes, the all-rounder managed to help his side secure a win with a decent performance with the ball where he managed to pick up two wickets against the Sydney Thunder.

Nikhil Chaudhary is originally from New Delhi but his parents moved to Punjab at a very young age. His aggressive batting tendencies were there from a young age as he went up the ranks to play for Punjab under the leadership of the Indian great, Harbhajan Singh.

The all-rounder even went on to represent India at the U-19 levels as well. But his story of how he ended up in Australia is an interesting one.

Nikhil’s life changed as he travelled to Australia for a holiday where the borders had shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But as the restrictions eased, he found a new place to call home. “It was totally different to India and I like the culture here,” he said. “I wanted to pursue my cricket in Australia. I just wanted a change and to grow as a person,” Chaudhary told ESPNCricinfo.

Totally immersed in the culture down under, Chaudhary opted to pursue his passion for cricket in Australia. Playing for the Northern Suburbs, a cricket club is where he managed to make a mark as his coach, the former Australian cricketer, James Hopes who was also part of the Hobart Hurricanes managed to put in a recommendation which helped him secure the BBL contract.

His quality is there to be seen as he managed to use his unorthodox style to score some runs off Pakistan’s express pacer Haris Rauf who plays for the Melbourne Stars. Nikhil managed to score 32 off 16 deliveries to help drag the Hurricanes to a respectable total in the first innings.

He has also been able to contribute with the ball where in the recent match against the Sydney Thunder he was able to get two wickets to begin his tally with the ball in his BBL career.

While his future might now be in Australia,  he still has not forgotten his roots as his celebration, the ‘thigh-five’, has become a signature celebration much like the Indian batter, Shikhar Dhawan.

Despite only playing three matches, his style of play could be a big asset to Australian cricket in the future, especially in the shortest format. He is also competing with the likes of Tim David in the middle order and the challenge could help him improve further to become a proper international player.