Nikhil Chaudhary becomes first Indian to score Sheffield Shield ton this century

NEW DELHI: Nikhil Chaudhary became the first Indian player to score a Sheffield Shield hundred this century as he smashed 163 for Tasmania against New South Wales in Sydney. Chaudhary’s knock came from 184 balls, and included five sixes. He was one of the three centurions for Tasmania along with Caleb Jewell and Tim Ward as it racked up 623 for eight in its innings.

Chaudhary was born in Delhi, and appeared for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before moving to Australia in 2020. He has now become a permanent resident of the country while retaining his Indian citizenship.

He was initially drafted into Hobart Hurricanes’ Big Bash League (BBL) team after being spotted playing club cricket, and subsequently joined Tasmania last summer. His knock against New South Wales is his maiden First-Class ton.

Chaudhary is among a handful of Indians to appear in the Sheffield Shield, including former India international Rusi Surti, who scored a century and took a hattrick for Queensland in the 1970s. Agencies

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