Nikhil Chaudhary’s road to BBL stardom: From Mexican restaurant, to Australia Post, to hitting Haris Rauf for six

From hitting Haris Rauf for a six over backward point to speaking Hindi with Brett Lee, and his thigh-five celebration after taking wickets; it has been an incredible eight weeks for Nikhil Chaudhary. The 27-year-old became only the second Indian cricketer after Unmukt Chand to play in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) and ended up being one of the x-factors for Hobart Hurricanes in his debut season.

Chaudhary played nine games for the Hurricanes and smashed 154 runs in six innings at 142.59, including a fifty, and picked up five wickets with his leg-spin.

“It’s unreal to be honest. When I first got signed, I didn’t know whether I will get a game or not. I was just happy to be here. I was lucky that I got a game and performed well. We were 47/5. I scored a 31-ball 40. The team management had shown the faith in me and I started playing and went from strength to strength,” he says.

Chaudhary caught everyone’s attention against Glenn Maxwell’s Melbourne Stars, when he hit 32 off 16 balls, including a six off Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf.

How talented is Nikhil Chaudhary!#BBL13 pic.twitter.com/PHzzTIz1Qz

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 28, 2023

“He didn’t give me a stare. He was more shocked after I played that shot. It was a good eight weeks. I didn’t think about achieving this much, I only wanted to play a single game. All my hard work for the past three years has paid off,” Chaudhary says.

But success Down Under didn’t come to him immediately, and his journey to BBL stardom is an interesting story.

In the 2019-20 season, Chaudhary became a regular in Punjab’s white-ball squads, and was a member of the Ranji Trophy side as well. Following the season, in the first week of March, he went to Brisbane for a holiday but little did he know that it would become his home.

“I came to Australia for a holiday to visit my uncle. Then Covid happened and everything was closed and I had to stay back,” Chaudhary tells The Indian Express from Brisbane.

Nikhil Chaudhary has nothing to lose! #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/PfkEc6dMRj

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 7, 2024

Cricket didn’t come to his rescue to begin with and Chaudhary had to do jobs which he had no experience in to sustain himself in an alien country.

“For first couple of weeks, parents were worried. Unlike in India, here you have to do all your stuff by yourself, that’s a big cultural difference. In India, we used to play cricket, that’s our profession but here you must work five days a week and cricket is for weekends,” he says.

To survive, Nikhil started working in a Mexican restaurant, where he ended up cutting his index finger and was asked by his mother to leave this profession.

Nikhil Chaudhary with his father Saneh Chaudhary and mother Manju Chaudhary at their home in Ludhiana (Special Arrangement)

“Never in my life of 23 years before moving to Australia had I ever gone into the kitchen,” he laughs. “Obviously, I was not a good cook. My manager was a big cricket fan. One of my friends told him about my story and he loved it and said let’s put him in the kitchen. My job was to wash utensils and cut vegetables. Pyaz kaatne mey ungli kaat liya (While chopping onions, I ended up getting a cut on my finger). I left it after a week. I didn’t have that skill.

“Then a friend who I was playing cricket with helped me get a job in Australia Post. It had its own challenges. You have to deliver 200 parcels in a day. But it helped me understand Brisbane more and also you don’t have to put too much brain into it. You just drive, knock on the door, deliver the parcel and go to the next address. I did that for two years before I got my contract with Hobart Hurricanes,” he says.

Catching the eye

Chaudhary became a big name in local tournaments because of his six-hitting prowess. He was called up by Brisbane Heat as a Covid-19 replacement player but never played a game. But he kept hitting those big sixes for his Queensland Premier club Northern Suburbs, where James Hopes was the head coach.

In Queensland’s T20 Max tournament, Chaudhary scored 266 runs at a strike rate of 169.4. Hopes, who is also the assistant coach at Hobart Hurricanes, put his name forward to high-performance manager Salliann Beams and head coach Jeff Vaughan, and he repaid their faith.

In India, Chaudhary played in all the age-group levels for Punjab. Most of his erstwhile teammates are playing in the Ranji Trophy or have IPL contracts, which he never got.

“I have moved on. I don’t think about the IPL rejections anymore. There is no bad blood. I can’t make up stories to get recognition. I was never a discard. I was playing for Punjab. I am just happy to play cricket. Maybe, I was not ready back then,” he says.

“I am in constant touch with my old Punjab teammates. We won the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2018-19. Saare ladke Ranji khel rahe hai (All the boys are playing in the Ranji Trophy). I am still in touch with Anmol Malhotra, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sanvir Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and Anmolpreet Singh.

“Arshdeep se meri baat hoti rahti hai, jab wo achha karta hai India ke liye mai text bhejta hun. Jab mai achha karta hun wo mujhe message karta hai (I am in regular touch with Arshdeep, he texts me when I do well and I do the same),” he says.

The sweetest sweep 👌

Welcome to the crease, Nikhil Chaudhary. #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/cpTTieAQOi

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 11, 2024

For Punjab, Chaudhary used to play as medium pacer and lower-order batsman, but in the BBL, he is bowling leg-spin, an art he learnt after moving to Australia.

“My batting technique is the same, but I have worked on my bowling. I used to be a medium pacer but I learnt leg-spin in the last two years and have got good control and am getting wickets as well,” he says.

Since being stuck in Australia, Chaudhary has not seen his parents and now after making a name for himself in the BBL, he is planning to visit his parents, who still live in Ludhiana.

“I have not seen them in four years. I am planning to visit India this year. It has been tough without them. Not having family was difficult, but they have always been my strength and I have made them proud,” he says.

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