From playing with Gill and Yuvraj to making debut for Australia, Nikhil Chaudhary lives a dream

Nikhil Chaudhary had his return tickets booked from Australia after a holiday with his uncle’s family in Cairns, and was eager to join his Punjab teammates ahead of the 2020-21 domestic season. An IPL contract was in his dreams.

But as fate would have it, the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing worldwide lockdown upended his plans, keeping him Down Under. 

However, that three months of uncertain period opened up fresh opportunities for Chaudhary, culminating in him making his international debut for Australia in a T20I match against Bangladesh in June this year. The goosebumps are still there.

“It was my life’s biggest moment. Six years ago, when I was going to Australia for a holiday, who could have imagined that I would be playing in Australia? Not even my parents would actually have thought of that,” Chaudhary, who is in Puducherry with Australia A to play three 50-over games against India A, told PTI in an interview facilitated by Cricket Australia.

“I was in Belgium playing in a T20 league when I got the call from Tony (Dodemaide, former player and one of the Australian selectors). Australia is one of best countries to have played cricket ever. So, it’s not easy to get into it. But to be honest, I’m very grateful.”

“All the opportunities I’m getting are because of my performance, the hard work I’ve put in from last five, six years in my life. I think it’s a matter of time before more opportunities come to my life. I just need to keep working hard and trust the process.”

Chaudhary had an impactful 2025-26 Big Bash League season for Hobart Hurricanes, scoring 307 runs from 12 matches at a strike rate of 154. It made the Aussie selectors notice him.

Chaudhary, who once played alongside Yuvraj Singh and Shubman Gill for Punjab in 2017, traced the turnaround in his life to that extended stay in Australia in 2020.

“I left India, I think on 16th of March, landed in Cairns, Queensland. I got stuck there for almost three months because of Covid, and remember I had my return ticket back to India ready, on 7th of May after my birthday (May 4).

“So, I started playing in Brisbane. I moved from Cairns to Brisbane around June because the season starts early September there. I have some friends there, and through them I joined Northern Suburban District Club.” But the moment of truth came soon for him.

“I got a phone call from our Punjab selector that I have made it to the Ranji Trophy team. I had to make a quick decision. Then I had a chat with my coach, Charanjit Singh Pangu in Ludhiana, and with mom and dad.

“They were like, nah, you got to come back. You have done all this hard work to be in this stage to play for your state along with India players like Gill and Yuvraj (in the 2017 Vijay Hazare Trophy). You’re going to go further from here and hopefully play IPL etc.

“But I told them I think I’ve got my happy place here. That’s when I actually made the decision of staying in Brisbane,” he said.

But was it tough for him to stay away from his family in a culturally different land?

“Yeah, obviously, the culture difference is more regarding the aspects of life, which is doing everything by yourself, not having enough help from your family or close ones. Everyone in Australia builds their own life by scratching from the start. “You have to do some odd jobs. Even school students, when they are 15, 16, work at McDonald’s. I did for Australia Post. Those things help you when you make a career of yourself.”

But the 30-year-old had some experience of living on his own during the BCCI age-group camps, which he said helped him adapt to Aussie living. “Obviously, in India, you live with your parents most of your life. And then that comfort zone, you actually don’t go out of that because you are too emotionally attached. It’s not just about money. “So again, that’s where there was a big cultural difference. Being able to stay away from home from under 14, obviously, you play under 14, 16 for your state. There are north, northeast zone camps, everything. So, you stay away from your family. So, I was actually used to it,” he explained.

This deep-rooted familiarity with cricket from a young age came handy when he transitioned from white-ball formats to red-ball first-class cricket in Australia at 29.

“See, when I played the Big Bash for the first time, I was almost turning 27. That’s a bit late to get a contract. But I knew what impact I can make to the team and to the game. I need the challenge to get the best out of me.

“It’s always the white ball which can challenge me the most because I’m always in game. But I had to wait to get qualified to play for Australia, and it actually made me a better person. I was lucky enough to play with players like Tim David, Matthew Wade, Ben McDermott, Nathan Ellis etc.” But was it tough to adapt to Shield cricket?

“There wasn’t a big transition, to be honest, because from under 14, 16 in India, we always play with red ball. So, it wasn’t something new. Even in Australia, we play red ball cricket for the club in Premiership.

“And then, last year, I got the opportunity for Tasmania to play Shield cricket. And even straight away in first game, I got the fifer and scored an 80-odd to save the game. That’s when everyone knew that I am an all-format player,” he said. In that context, Chaudhary feels the current trip to India will add more arrows to his quiver.