New Delhi: Former Punjab junior grade cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary admits the best decision he ever made in his life was staying back in Australia once the COVID restrictions were lifted.“It was all God’s plan,” Chaudhary tells TimesofIndia.com from Brisbane.“I have no regrets in saying that staying back in Australia changed my life, my cricket. If I had been in India, my cricket career would have been a mess. You know how it works. Talent and performance don’t matter – you need strong recommendations to play cricket,” he laughs.
The 29-year-old has now moved on from the heartaches he suffered during his playing days for Punjab in India’s domestic cricket.Chaudhary came through Punjab’s age-group system. He represented Punjab in U-16, U-19, and U-23, and even got a few opportunities for Punjab in the limited-overs format. He made it to the Ranji Trophy team but never got the chance to play First Class cricket.The first taste of First Class cricket he got was in his adopted country — Australia.Earlier this month, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was picked for Australia to play against New Zealand. Subsequently, the door opened for Nikhil, who had not played red-ball cricket for two years.
Nikhil Chaudhary took a fifer in his First Class debut for Tasmania vs Queensland in Australia. (Photo by Special Arrangement)
“Two days before our match against Queensland, I got a call from the Tasmania selectors that I was picked for the Sheffield Shield. I was not expecting this because I hadn’t played red-ball cricket for almost two years. In club games, I was only focusing on my white-ball game,” he recollects.“There were a few eyebrows raised. Some were happy, some weren’t. There were a few nerves. Matthew Wade came to my rescue, and after I was handed the debut cap, he told me, ‘Play the way you play in limited overs.'”The words of assurance eased Chaudhary, but it wasn’t enough. In the first innings, he scored 14 off 29 balls.“It isn’t my game. I can’t hold the fort. And then, with the ball in hand, I was bowling slow, trying to give the ball more air, which again is not my strength. I bowl quick leg-breaks,” he says.This time Tasmania’s bowling coach James Hopes came in with a proverbial arm around his shoulder. “He asked me to bowl quick. It worked, and I picked up a fifer on my debut,” Chaudhary says.
Nikhil Chaudhary scored a dramatic 76 to save the match for Tasmania vs Queensland despite carrying high fever the evening before. (Photo by Special Arrangement)
There was still one more twist left. On the final day, he was down with a high fever, and Tasmania were on their knees with Queensland looking for an innings win. At the tea break on Day 4, the coaches asked Nikhil to take rest and instructed No. 9, 10, and 11 to pad up.Chaudhary, who was slotted to bat at No. 8, was going through all the emotions. He started thinking about the time when he was stuck in Australia during Covid, the odd jobs he did to survive, the cricket he played in Brisbane to keep the fire alive in him, the Big Bash League (BBL) contract — and now he had the chance to repay the faith shown in him by Tasmania cricket.“I took pills and told everyone that I could still save this match. I walked out and played my natural game, remained unbeaten on 76 off 80 balls, and we eked out a draw,” Chaudhary says.“The icing on the cake was that chief selector George Bailey was watching the game as well.”
If I had been in India, my cricket career would have been a mess. You know how it works. Talent and performance don’t matter – you need strong recommendations
Cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary
Despite his heroics, he wasn’t sure whether he would be picked for the next match or not because Matthew Kuhnemann was coming back.“He is an Australian cricketer, and you have to make way for the international guys. There is no harm in it. I was just glad to make my First Class debut,” he says.But Kuhnemann, who is also known as Australia’s ‘Jaddu’ (Ravindra Jadeja), got picked for the three-match white-ball series against India, and Nikhil got another chance. Chaudhary had a sombre outing against Western Australia but experienced one of the most riveting First Class matches in recent times as Tasmania won by just three runs.The Journey
Nikhil Chaudhary represented Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier. (Special Arrangement)
Chaudhary burst onto the scene after he smoked Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf for a six over backward point and celebrated with a thigh-five after taking wickets for Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL. He then did well in the Dean Jones Cup (List A), before making his First Class debut.It may appear that everything happened pretty quickly, but for this, he has toiled hard.“Once I decided to stay back, I had to work somewhere. I got this job of chopping veggies in a Mexican restaurant. I called up my mother for help. I had never cut a slice of lemon in my life. And as my mother predicted, I ended up cutting my fingers. The folks at the restaurant understood my struggle, and then I was given a big knife and asked to chop meat,” he says.“One job was not enough. I worked for the Australian Post, where I was delivering parcels door to door. Then drove Uber also for a while, before I got the BBL contract,” he adds.
Nikhil Chaudhary had to work on his technique to adjust from India to Australia. (Photo by Special Arrangement)
Making ends meet was difficult, but adapting to the bouncy pitches of Brisbane was even more difficult for Nikhil.“I had played my cricket in Ludhiana and then across India with the Punjab age-group teams. In India, you play on the front foot — that is embedded in your muscle memory. It’s easy hitting on the up, but here the ball used to whistle past. As a leg-spinner, I was doing well, picking heaps of wickets in the club games, but I needed to sort my batting.“So, in 2023, I started working on my footwork. From July to September, I hired a professional sidearm and trained thrice a week for three hours indoors. It enhanced my game,” he says.In the Punjab circuit, Chaudhary was famous for his big-hitting prowess and his ability to crank it up with the ball. But once he moved to Australia, he switched to leg-spin.“I used to bowl leg-spin in the Punjab nets as well. You can ask Anmol Malhotra (Punjab’s wicketkeeper). He used to hate facing me (Malhotra agrees to this). I switched to leg-spin to keep my workload intact. I was getting results also,” he says.
Nikhil Chaudhary has taken eight List A wickets from six matches in his young List A career. (Photo by Special Arrangement)
Everything was sorted, but Chaudhary was not done. He was enamoured by the athleticism of Australian cricketers. He reached out to Marco Mastrorocco, the Director of Athletic Development at Athletix in Brisbane.“They are massive but still so quick. All these boys grew up playing rugby. Even after having professional cricket contracts, they train like rugby players. I also started training with Marco, and in six months, I witnessed changes in myself. I am quicker while chasing the ball or running between the wickets,” he says.Nikhil still has an unfulfilled dream — to play international cricket — and he believes that in 18 months’ time, he will wear that yellow and gold.“Wo bhi hoga paaji (That will also happen). One tick box at a time,” he signs off.
