'Nikhil, Brett Lee here, aap kaise ho?' - Australian legend converses with Nikhil Chaudhary in Hindi to perfection during BBL2023-24

In an entertaining turn of events during the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) match between Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades, former Australian pacer Brett Lee displayed his perfect Hindi-speaking skills.

In a chat with Indian-origin player Nikhil Chaudhary, who was on the field, Lee effortlessly incorporated Hindi into the commentary, engaging in a brief conversation with him. Consequently, this left the Punjab-based player who was representing Hobart, stunned and he could not hold himself back from complimenting Lee for his language prowess.

"Nikhil, Brett Lee here. Aap kaise ho? Aap se milke khushi hui," Lee said on-air, exchanging pleasantries in Hindi. Chaudhary, clearly impressed, responded with a compliment, "Your Hindi is too good, mate!"

In a rare feat, the Indian-born player, Nikhil Chaudhary, has left his mark in the 13th edition of the ongoing BBL. Hailing from Punjab, the 27-year-old cricketer has featured in four matches for the Hurricanes this season, showcasing his skills with both bat and ball. With 72 runs at a striking rate of 153.19, Chaudhary has proven his mettle, also securing two wickets in the ongoing clash against the Renegades.

Adding a delightful touch to the match, former Australian pacer Brett Lee engaged in a Hindi conversation with Chaudhary during the commentary. This unique interaction highlighted Lee's special connection with India, a sentiment he has expressed consistently throughout his career, even venturing into Bollywood with the film "UnIndian" and collaborating with Asha Bhosle on the song, "You're the one for me." 

Brett Lee has taken 718 international wickets across formats for Australia in 12-year career

Talking about his illustrious international cricket career for Australia, Brett Lee participated in 76 games in Test cricket, securing an impressive 310 wickets with a best bowling figure of 5/30. Notably, he achieved 17 four-wicket hauls and 10 five-wicket hauls in the Test format. Transitioning to One Day Internationals (ODIs), Lee played 221 matches, claiming 380 wickets with a notable best bowling performance of 5/22. He sustained an economy rate of 4.76, showcasing an average of 23.4 and a strike rate of 29.4. Impressively, he secured 14 four-wicket hauls and 9 five-wicket hauls in ODIs.

Speaking of the T20 Internationals, Brett Lee played 25 matches for Australia, and took 28 wickets with a best bowling figure of 3/23, maintaining an economy rate of 7.86 and an average of 25.5. While in the Indian Premier League (IPL), spanning from 2008 to 2013, Brett Lee participated in 38 matches, securing 25 wickets with a best bowling performance of 3/15. During these games, the fiery Aussie pacer maintained an economy rate of 7.50, with an average of 43.8 and a strike rate of 35.0.