SRH spinner Zeeshan keen to make a splash on home turf

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

LUCKNOW: Finding an Indian Premier League team seemed almost impossible for young leg spinner Zeeshan Ansari after the Uttar Pradesh selection committee, headed by former India seamer Praveen Kumar, ignored the bowler last season despite emerging the highest wicket-taker in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League last year with 24 scalps.
Sunrisers Hyderabad though kept track and picked him for Rs.40 lakh. He had a fine IPL debut, taking all three wickets against Delhi Capitals, though in a losing cause. Two of those victims were Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul. He has six wickets in nine games (avg 9.76), though SRH have been eliminated from the playoffs race.
The 25-year-old will play his first IPL game on home turf, against a Lucknow Super Giants side led by his 2016 U-19 World Cup teammate Rishabh Pant on Monday. It will be a big occasion for Zeeshan as his 18-member joint family will be at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium to cheer him on.
'Expectations are high for everyone, including the 200-odd cricketers at the LDA Coaching Centre where I have been training. I will try to live up to the expectations of everyone. I had 24 wickets at this venue in UPT20L last year and know the variations of the pitches here quite well,' Zeeshan told HT on Sunday.
'Even after getting selected in the UPT20 League by Meerut Mavericks, I wasn't sure of playing all the matches but coach Utkarsh Chandra and team owner Saurabh Dubey supported me well… Skipper Rinku Singh too gave me a free hand which kept me doing well and I emerged as the highest wicket taker,'
SRH picked him in the players auction soon after.
'We know how important that was for me and my family,' said Zeeshan, whose father Naeem has a tailoring shop in Lucknow.
Zeeshan had 40 wickets in his first season for Uttar Pradesh in junior cricket and was picked for the U-19 World Cup. His teammate in that campaign, Ishan Kishan – he too plays for SRH – is now a good friend.
'I started playing cricket at the age of 5 in the lanes near my house. After some time, I was sent to Chowk stadium for training,' says Zeeshan, who has taken 17 wickets in five first-class games.
On his stint with SRH, Zeeshan is grateful to have two of the game's top two former spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori, to guide him. 'Both are a big help; I always try to learn from them with long discussions and at the nets. I've watched them since I started playing cricket. They are such big bowlers and if I could get small things from them, it would be great for me.
'I am getting a lot of help from Ishan. We played two practice matches together here ahead of the LSG game. He told me certain things during the match, especially about my gesture after being hit for a six. He told me to be confident.'
Gopal Singh, Zeeshan's coach at the LDA Coaching Centre, is confident about his good show against LSG. 'He has perfect knowledge of all nine surfaces at this venue and knows the tricks to trouble the batters,' said Gopal, who will be watching Zeeshan's game with a big bunch of 200-odd trainees.