Miles away from the misery of the current Indian Test squad, who were folded for just 201 runs in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, and are staring at another whitewash at home, a former Punjab cricketer scripted history on Australian soil with his maiden first-class century for Tasmania during the ongoing Sheffield Shield tournament.
Nikhil Chaudhary, who hosted a bunch of Indian stars - from Abhishek Sharma to Arshdeep Singh- during the team's tour last month in Australia, became the first Indian to notch a triple-figure score in a Sheffield Shield this century. The Indian all-rounder scored a blazing 163 for the Tigers before they declared their innings at 623 for eight on Day 3, with a lead of 232 runs at Sydney's Cricket Central against New South Wales.
ALSO READ: India may already have lost the 2nd Test vs South Africa: Historical stats that frame the Guwahati crisis
A day after Caleb Jewell’s 102 set the tone for Tasmania, Tim Ward and Nikhil followed up with centuries of their own on Monday, powering the Tigers to their second-highest Sheffield Shield total. Sam Konstas and Ryan Hicks then negotiated a tricky five-over period before stumps, taking New South Wales to 9/0 and leaving them with a fight on their hands to salvage a draw.
{{/usCountry}}A day after Caleb Jewell’s 102 set the tone for Tasmania, Tim Ward and Nikhil followed up with centuries of their own on Monday, powering the Tigers to their second-highest Sheffield Shield total. Sam Konstas and Ryan Hicks then negotiated a tricky five-over period before stumps, taking New South Wales to 9/0 and leaving them with a fight on their hands to salvage a draw.
{{/usCountry}}Born in Delhi, Nikhil represented Punjab in one-day cricket, before moving to Australia in 2020. He even played alongside Shubman Gill, Abhishek and Arshdeep in the Punjab team. He became stuck in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when the lockdown ended, he decided to stay in the country and became a permanent resident. Struggling to survive and keep his cricket dreams alive, he took up odd jobs, which included cutting meat, delivering parcels and driving an Uber.
His hard work eventually paid off when he earned a contract with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, where he famously struck Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf for a six and then celebrated with a thigh-five. He then earned a surprise call-up for the Sheffield Shield after Matthew Kuhnemann was called up for the national team. He immediately caught the attention of national selector George Bailey by hitting a match-saving 76 not out in front of him.