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Shubman Gill And Abhishek Sharma's Teammate Ready For Red-Ball Debut In Australia
Follow UsInstead of panicking that his cricketing career might get derailed, struck in Covid in Australia, he started playing club cricket in Brisbane and reshaped his career.
“No Dream Too Far” were the words of Nikhil Chaudhary, when he first made his List-A debut for Tasmania earlier in 2025. And his dream of finally playing First-Class cricket could come true on October 4th, if he indeed gets his maiden First-Class cap from Tasmania, in the Sheffield Shield 2025-26 opener for the Tigers.
Chaudhary, who played with the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh in the Punjab team in Indian domestic cricket, went to Brisbane for a holiday with his uncle in 2020 and got stuck there due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Instead of panicking that his cricketing career might get derailed, he started playing cricket in Brisbane and was spotted by James Hope, a former Australia international.
Since then, he played club cricket in Brisbane, worked for Australia Post as a mail deliverer to feed himself and then got a contract from Hobart Hurricanes for the 2023-24 season. Cut 2025 and in five years’ time, he has now reached a stage which he could not in India, despite playing all his life there.
“This debut is very close to my heart. When I left India, I never thought I’d get another chance to grab a state contract. Starting again from local club matches here in Australia, and now walking out in a state jersey, it feels like a dream come true,” Times of India quoted Chaudhary as saying about his List-A debut for Tasmania.
“I hope my story shows that no dream is too far if you keep working for it,” he added.
Apart from Nikhil, one other precedent dates back to the 1960s when a certain Rusi Surti had played for Queensland, having previously played domestic cricket in India for Gujarat.