When Uttar Pradesh legspinner Zeeshan Ansari received the news of his selection in the India A red-ball squad for the Sri Lanka tour, there was a sense of disbelief.
After all, he hadn't played a Ranji Trophy match since 2020, the last of his five first-class appearances, and had come in the spotlight - including getting into the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) - through the UP T20 League as well as the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2025-26, where he was the joint-second-highest wicket-taker (21 wickets in eight matches at an average of 16.52).
"To be honest, it feels a bit like magic because at one point I was nowhere," Ansari told Cricinfo, fresh off a stint as a net bowler during the India vs Afghanistan Test in New Chandigarh earlier this month. "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've been playing those regularly for the last ten years."
Interestingly, even though Ansari has got all the attention he has because of white-ball cricket, it's a format he has been properly active in only in the last three years. The last Vijay Hazare Trophy, for instance, was his first domestic 50-over competition even though he made his state team debut in 2017-18, on the back of representing India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 alongside Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, among others.
Limited opportunities within the state left him searching for opportunities elsewhere. Apart from regularly featuring in Lucknow's local tournaments, he has played some league cricket in Kolkata. The closest he got to the state team until the start of 2025 was as net bowler. Even at IPL 2026, the regular presence of Shivang Kumar in the XII meant Ansari didn't get a game.
Still only 26, Ansari hoped good things were around the corner.
"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."
When Ansari was bowling in the nets with the India team, he spent time with head coach Gautam Gambhir, and new spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule was seen giving him inputs. Bahutule underlined a subtle mindset shift from white-ball to red-ball cricket, Ansari said, while Gambhir spoke to him about the importance of playing freely, while also looking to make the most of his opportunities.
"I am someone who likes to stay balanced," Ansari said. "I don't 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."