Uncapped Uttar Pradesh spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who has been selected in India A side for the red-ball tour to Sri Lanka, said that his call-up for the tour ‘feels a bit like magic” for him, having last played the format in 2020.
Ansari’s last first-class game came in January 2020 against Tamil Nadu. Since then, he has gained a sizeable amount of prominent performances in white-ball cricket. His exploits in the UP T20 League, 24 wickets in 12 matches of the 2024 season, earned him an Indian Premier League (IPL) deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He took six wickets in 10 matches in the last year’s season, his IPL debut. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he stamped his authority in the 50-over format as well, emerging as the joint-second-highest leading wicket-taker (21 wickets in eight matches at an average of 16.52).
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said, “To be honest, it feels a bit like magic because at one point I was nowhere. It was a surprise. I had done well in white-ball cricket this season, so I felt that even if my name came up somewhere, it might be in a white-ball team.”
“But being selected in the red-ball team is a huge thing. I love bowling with the red ball, and I have spent my entire life practising with the red ball. Even the 40-over league matches in Lucknow are played with the red ball, and I have been playing those regularly for the last ten years,” he added.
He had a stint as a net bowler for the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan earlier this month. The two unofficial Tests against Sri Lanka A will take place on June 25 and June 2 respectively.
Though he has got a lot of attention over the last few years due to white-ball cricket, he has become a regular in the format only over the last three years. The last year’s VHT was his first state competition in 50-over format, even though he made his debut for UP back in the 2017-18 season, having represented India in the U19 WC 2016 alongside stars like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan.
In five first-class matches for his state, he has taken 17 wickets at an average of 30.76, with best figures of 3/33.
Limited opportunities in state cricket got him searching for opportunities in other states, as he also played some league cricket in Kolata, even representing the state in 2025 as a net bowler. During the IPL 2026, another young spin all-rounder Shivang Kumar, was above him in the pecking order, leading to Zeeshan not getting any game time. Still, the 26-year-old believed that good times were close and refuses to call his cricketing journey as a “struggle”.
“I would not call it a struggle because, as a cricketer, ups and downs are always a part of your life,” he said.
“Many things are not in your control, and sometimes you are not performing either. The only thing in your hands is to keep improving, work hard and wait for your turn. Even when I was a net bowler with the UP team, I always had the desire inside me that I have to make a comeback.”
“So I would not say that I was extremely disappointed. I would also not say that I was perfect or I kept performing consistently, and therefore I deserved opportunities. I was continuously working hard and working on myself, keeping myself ready for any opportunity. Cricket is such a game that you never know when and from where an opportunity will come. Now that I have finally got an opportunity after many years, I want to do well there,” he continued.
While bowling in the nets with Indian team, he got to spend time with head coach Gautam Gambhir and spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, with the latter giving him inputs. Bahutule underlined a mindset shift from white to red-ball cricket, while Gambhir encouraged him to play freely and to make the most of his chances.
“I am someone who likes to stay balanced,” Ansari said. “I do not think much about the past and only focus on the future. I know that as a cricketer, life cannot always be full of good things. One day you perform well and become happy, and if the next day is not good, you get upset. These small things don’t affect me as much anymore. I believe that you should just keep going, keep working hard, and God will help you. Your time will come.”
Indian A squad for multi-day matches in SL:
Dhruv Jurel (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Badoni, Devdutt Padikkal (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Saransh Jain, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, N Jagadeesan, Aman Mokhade, Shaik Rasheed and Zeeshan Ansari.