Six years in the wilderness

Zeeshan Ansari knows what it means to be left behind. After playing for Uttar Pradesh against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy in January 2020, the 26-year-old legspinner spent six years drifting in cricket's red-ball wilderness, finding it increasingly difficult to adapt back to bowling with the red cherry after the T20 boom had made the white ball second nature.

That exile finally ended with a surprise call-up to the India A squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. The comeback, however, did not begin with a Bollywood-style fairytale. Ansari conceded 76 runs in 19 overs in the first innings in Galle and was then taken for 29 runs in just four overs in the second essay. The Meerut-born leggie, who now plays for Meerut Mavericks in the UPT20 League, admits the return has been a 'little difficult' but insists it has been a crucial learning curve.

A valuable education in Galle

"It was a good learning experience. I played red-ball cricket after so many years, and I got to learn a lot. There were a lot of good batsmen I was bowling against. The Sri Lankan batters are good players of spin. And I was also bowling with the Kookaburra ball for the first time. It was a different experience for me," he says.

Ansari first caught the eye with his red-ball exploits. At the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in 2014-15 he took 40 wickets, earning him a place in the 2016 U-19 World Cup squad. He followed up with 30 wickets in the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2016-17 and was rewarded with a Ranji Trophy debut the following season. Making an impressive debut under the captaincy of Suresh Raina, he picked up six wickets in the match but was dropped for the next fixture and played just four more games over the next four seasons before disappearing into the wilderness.

Gautam Gambhir's advice

Earlier this year came the turnaround - first a call-up as a net bowler for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Chandigarh, and then his India A selection. A day before that Test, Ansari was seen in a long and animated conversation with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"Gautam sir just told me that I am doing well and should keep bowling like this, just as I have been. There is nothing else to think about. Just keep performing. It was a good conversation, and it boosted my confidence," he recalls.

Learning how to be a better bowler

The exposure, Zeeshan feels, has made him a better bowler and taught him exactly what he needs to do to find more success. "I played in the IPL, went with India A, met a lot of people and worked with some really good coaches. All of that has helped me understand my cricket better and learn what can work for me and what I need to do to be successful. For instance, I have realised that I need to bowl a little slower and put more revs on the ball. I have kept that in mind, and that is what I am working on," he explains.

"I learnt that you should bowl as much as you can with the red ball. Whatever variations you have, you should work on them well and then try to execute them in matches. The most important thing is repetition. Repetition is very important for a leg-spinner. I have practised so much that I am now able to bring variations into my googlies as well," he adds.

Saved by the UPT20 League

Zeeshan, who now plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, credits the UP T20 League with giving his career a new lease of life. "I feel my career has been made because of the UPT20 League. I wasn't playing much cricket and my name wasn't known anywhere. In the first season of the league, I won the Purple Cap with 24 wickets to my name, and that's when people started recognising me," he says.

Now that selectors are tracking his development closely, the 26-year-old can expect more opportunities for his state team. This time around, he won't have to spend another season in the wilderness.