Delhi-born Nikhil Chaudhary added to Australia squad for Bangladesh T20I

Sydney, June 11 (IANS) Australia have added Delhi-born uncapped spinner Nikhil Chaudhary to their squad for their upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. The 30-year-old drafted into the squad following Travis Head’s withdrawal on personal leave.

Chaudhary could become the only Indian born player to play for Australia in more than 60 years after the Hobart Hurricanes all-rounder was called up for the T20I series against Bangladesh.

Chaudhary, currently playing for JB Bruges in the EUT20 competition in Belgium after a stint with Delhi Capitals in the IPL, is set to join the Australian squad in Dhaka on Friday.

Born in Delhi before moving Down Under at the start of the decade,the leg-spin all-rounder will compete for a middle-order berth with the likes of Joel Davies and Aaron Hardie, who are also in the T20I squad only.

Australia selector Tony Dodemaide is confident the bowling all-rounder can perform well should he win selection.

“Nikhil has been a player of national interest for some time. He was a standby player for this tour, joining the squad at pre-season camps in Brisbane and comes in as a replacement for Travis Head,” Dodemaide said.

“The panel has been impressed by his BBL form, particularly last season, leading to his addition to the squad. He has also been part of the Delhi Capitals setup in this year’s IPL.

“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,” he added.

Born in Delhi, Chaudhary played 14 limited-overs games for the state side Punjab alongside the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, and trialled with the IPL side Mumbai Indians.

He was visiting an uncle in Queensland when the pandemic shut international borders, seeing him pivot to furthering his cricket ambitions in Australia.

The three-match T20I series will be played entirely in Chattogram, with the first match scheduled for June 17. The second T20I will take place on June 19, while the third and final match of the series is set to be played on June 21.

Australia T20I squad: 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.

–IANS

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