Five years ago, Punjab cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary, after a long domestic season, took a flight to Australia to celebrate his birthday. It was early 2020, easily the worst time to travel. Within days of his landing, Covid-19 deaths would see a global spike and Australia would shut its entry and exit points. The only son of a Ludhiana builder was stuck thousands of miles away from home.

After a couple of months, restrictions would lift, internal travel would resume and Nikhil would join a local Brisbane club. He would go on to play in the local league, inform his parents that he was staying back, change his visa type from ‘tourist’ to ‘study’ to eventually ‘sports.’

His decision not to call home for money would take him to a place he had never been – a Mexican restaurant where he chopped o

See Full Page