Former Australia captain and ICC Hall of Famer Lisa Sthalekar has pushed back against claims that Nikhil Chaudhary is the first Indian-origin cricketer to be selected by Australia in more than 60 years.
The discussion began after Chaudhary, who was born in Delhi, was named in Australia's T20I squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. Several social media posts described the 29-year-old as the first Indian-origin player to receive an Australia call-up since 1964.
Responding to one such post on social media, Sthalekar wrote: “Really?? First in 60 years.”
Sthalekar's comments come as a reflection of her own journey to the top of women's cricket. The former Australian captain was born in Pune and moved to Australia as a child where she played at the highest level. Over a career spanning more than a decade, she played 125 One-Day Internationals, eight Tests and 54 T20 Internationals for Australia. She was a member of multiple World Cup-winning teams and later captained the national side.
Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women's cricket in Australia, Sthalekar was the first woman to achieve the ODI double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. She was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2025.
Former KKR manager and broadcaster Joy Bhattacharjya joined in and wrote, "You forgot a World Cup winning captain and Hall of Famer. Or is it only men who play cricket!"
Chaudhary's selection remains a notable milestone. If he makes his debut against Bangladesh, he is set to become the first India-born male cricketer to play for Australia since Rex Sellers, who was born in Chennai and represented Australia in the 1960s.
Sthalekar's response has drawn attention to the distinction between India-born players, Indian-origin players and male cricketers, with her brief remark prompting a broader discussion about representation and cricketing history in Australia.
