Nikhil Chaudhary's name is doing the rounds after his impressive performances in the Big Bash League. The 27-year-old has been one of the talking points of the tournament after videos of him smashing Haris Rauf for a six on the off-side and also his Shikhar Dhawan-like celebration went viral. He also picked up a couple of wickets for Hobart Hurricanes on New Year's Day against Sydney Thunder. Chaudhary for the record, is the second cricketer of Indian origin to play in Australia's Big Bash League after Unmukt Chand, a U-19 World Cup-winning captain for India, who had featured for the Melbourne Renegades. So who is Nikhil Chaudhary? Let us take a look.  ‘Delhi Boy Bashing Haris Rauf…’ Fans React As Nikhil Chaudhary Smashes Pakistan Pacer for A Six in BBL 2023-24 Match.

The 27-year-old played his first BBL match for Hobart Hurricanes on December 20 against Perth Scorchers. In his debut outing, he was his team's top-scorer, with 40 runs off 31 balls, a knock that included six fours. With the ball, he bowled one over where he conceded five runs. Though Hurricanes went on to lose the match, Chaudhary's performance did not go unnoticed. Indian-Origin Cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary Celebrates Like Shikhar Dhawan After Taking His First BBL Wicket During Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder Match, Video Goes Viral.

Nikhil Chaudhary Quick Facts

#Nikhil Chaudhary was born on May 4, 1996 in Delhi.

#The 27-year-old has played for Punjab in domestic cricket under Harbhajan Singh's captaincy.

#In 16 T20s, he picked up nine wickets with his best figures being 3/36.

#Chaudhary's journey to the BBL is an interesting one. He had gone to Australia for a holiday with family when he was stranded in the country as travel was not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#It was on James Hopes' recommendation that Chaudhary got a BBL contract with Hobart Hurricanes. The former Australian cricketer spotted Chaudhary while he was playing for Northern Suburbs and was impressed.

#He had also appeared for trials for the Mumbai Indians twice.

#Chaudhary has now dedicated to continuing his cricketing career in Australia.

The youngster has shown early signs of becoming an exciting cricketer and it will be interesting to see how his career shapes up from here on.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2024 11:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).