Zeeshan Ansari aims India call-up, credits Meerut Mavericks’ team environment for good performance in UPT20 League

LUCKNOW: Zeeshan Ansari is enjoying a prolific run in the UP T20 League 2026, but the Meerut Mavericks leg-spinner has his sights firmly set beyond the white-ball tournament, aiming for an India call-up and developing his red-ball bowling.

Ansari, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the UP T20 League with 14 wickets from six matches, credited the positive atmosphere within the Meerut Mavericks camp for the team’s impressive run. Led by Rinku Singh, Meerut have won all six of their matches and sit at the top of the points table.

“The atmosphere is very, very cool; the atmosphere is amazing, especially created by our coaches. All the coaches have great bonding among themselves, and the coaches have great bonding with the players. Because of this, I feel the team is doing very well. In every match where the batsmen don’t perform, the bowlers do, and where the bowlers don’t perform, the batsmen do. This is why Meerut Mavericks is doing very well,” Ansari said.

The 26-year-old has also made it clear that his ambitions are not limited to white-ball cricket. After taking 21 wickets in eight matches for Uttar Pradesh in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ansari was picked for India A’s red-ball assignment in Sri Lanka.

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Talking about his time with India ‘A’, Ansari said the experience helped him understand the differences between bowling with a red ball and a white ball and has strengthened his desire to improve in the longer format.

“I learned a lot from there. I mean, I had never bowled with a Kookaburra ball before, and it had been quite some time since I played red ball cricket, so that was different. But I had to understand a lot from it, how I need to bowl; there’s a slight difference between the white ball and the red ball,” he said.

Ansari, who played two matches for India A, said his current focus is on becoming a better red-ball bowler as he targets a place in the senior India side.

“I just feel I need to learn more in red ball; I played two matches there as well, learning bit by bit, understanding my bowling, how I can bowl better with the red ball. My full focus is currently on red ball cricket and how I can take wickets in it somehow,” he said.

The leg-spinner has already experienced the IPL, making his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2025 after being bought for Rs 40 lakh at the mega auction. He made an impressive start, returning figures of 3/42 against Delhi Capitals, and was subsequently retained by the franchise for the 2026 season.

Ansari, however, did not get a game for SRH this season and said the experience still taught him valuable lessons about his bowling and mindset. “I feel I’ve learned a lot from this IPL, regarding my bowling, regarding my mindset, that if I’m dropped, what else can I do? So I got to learn all these things a lot this year,” he said.

Asked about his chances of earning an India debut, Ansari remained confident that consistent performances will give him an opportunity. “The chances are fair for every cricketer. If you perform, it’s obvious you will get a chance, just like I did. I took the most wickets in Vijay Hazare, and my name came up for India A,” he said.

Ansari also believes Uttar Pradesh has the talent to produce many more players for the IPL and India. “If we talk about potential, the state is such that everywhere you look, in every match, some new player comes along who bats well or bowls well. This itself shows that there is a lot of potential and I think many more players from here will play in the IPL and for India in the coming times, 100%,” he said.

For now, Ansari is refusing to choose between red-ball and white-ball cricket, insisting that he wants to make the most of every opportunity. “I haven’t thought anything like that, that I should do this or do that, play only white ball, not at all. For the first fifteen years of my cricket, I played only red ball. Later, whatever I’ve played, I played white ball in that,” he said.

“So wherever I get a chance, whether it’s white ball or red ball, I will try to perform well in it. Currently, I don’t have anything like that in my mind that I should only carry on with white ball or only carry on with red ball,” he added.

And his ultimate goal remains straightforward. “Every Indian cricketer has only one goal, which is to represent India. Mine is the same. I also want to play in every format for India. And not just play, but play for a long time and perform well. Whatever capability I have, whatever is inside me, I want to go there and show everyone and take India’s name forward,” Ansari said.

Ansari will next be in action when Meerut Mavericks face Kanpur Superstars in a UPT20 League match on Tuesday. (ANI)