Lucknow: UP leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari is hoping to make a strong impression in the Duleep Trophy after earning a place in the Central Zone squad, despite an ordinary outing for India A against Sri Lanka A in the unofficial Test at Galle.Ansari made a surprise return to red-ball cricket in June 2026 when he was selected for the India A tour of Sri Lanka, despite not having played a Ranji Trophy match since January 2020. However, the Lucknow cricketer admitted that he fell short of his own expectations on his comeback.Besides Ansari, two other Uttar Pradesh players have been included in the Central Zone squad. Rinku Singh has been named vice-captain, while Aryan Juyal has also earned a place in the team.“Almost six years later, I played red-ball cricket in the India A match against Sri Lanka A. I was disappointed because I could not prove myself and did not take a wicket. I got only one match, but I was not able to live up to my own expectations,” Zeeshan told TOI.After the Sri Lanka tour, Ansari had featured in the Under-25 red-ball tournament at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He said the tournament also did not go as planned. “After the India A match, I played the Under-25 red-ball tournament at the CoE in Bengaluru, but I did not do as well as expected. I scored around 70 runs and took just one wicket,” he said. “I am very happy and thankful that the selectors and BCCI selected me for the Duleep Trophy. I have learnt from my mistakes and I am working on the areas where I was lacking. I am focusing on my fitness, bowling and variations. I want to give my best in the Duleep Trophy,” he said.Ansari said the switch from white-ball cricket to the longer format has required adjustment, especially after a long gap from red-ball cricket.“It takes some time to shift from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket because I have not played red-ball cricket since 2020. Last year, I was selected for the final two Ranji Trophy matches, but I could not play because of injury. Now I have two different tournaments ahead — the UPT20 League and the Duleep Trophy. Both are different formats, and I need to prepare myself accordingly,” he said.The UPT20 League is scheduled to begin on August 14, while the Duleep Trophy starts on August 23, leaving Ansari with a tight preparation window. He said he is keen to use the time to fine-tune his red-ball skills. “I want to learn from senior international players and clear my doubts before the Duleep Trophy, but the schedule is hectic. During the Sri Lanka tour, I discussed many things with our spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi. He shared his experience of red-ball cricket and told me to work on line and develop variations. He also told me to understand pitch behaviour, stressing that conditions and wicket characteristics evolve with each passing day in longer-format cricket.”Ansari said he benefited from discussions with coaches at the Centre of Excellence. Ansari said he used the Centre of Excellence matches to seek clarity on aspects of his game, holding discussions with Vinit Indulkar and Debashish Mohanty. He said both coaches patiently heard him out and appreciated the challenges of returning to red-ball cricket after a six-year gap.
