Former Indian cricketer Salil Ankola's life has been hit with tragedy as his mother passed away on Friday. The cricketer-turned-actor took to social media to confirm the development.
"Goodbye Mom," Salil captioned a post with a picture of her mother. Ankola was recently part of the national selection committee but was replaced by Ajay Ratra. Here is Salil's cricketing journey.
Salil made his India debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar
After impressing in first-class cricket for Mumbai, Ankola was called into the Indian team and was part of the Indian touring party to Pakistan in 1989-90. He famously made his India debut in the same game that the legendary Sachin did - in the first Test in Karachi.
He took two wickets in the match but was dropped from the subsequent matches due to injuries. Ankolka was later called into the Indian ODI team and got his maiden cap in the 50-over format in 1993. The Maharashtra-born has played a total of 20 ODI matches.
Ankola played one game in the World Cup
Salil Ankola was also part of the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 1996. He featured in only one match and could not pick a wicket. He bowled five overs in the match against Sri Lanka in Delhi and conceded 28 runs. In all of his 20 ODI matches, Ankola picked 13 wickets with his career best being 3/33.
However, his International career was curtailed in 1997 after a tumour in his left calf forced him to retire early.
After his cricket career, Ankola turned towards films and serials and with his debut movie Kurukshetra, starring Sanjay Dutt in the lead role. He was also part of the first season of Bigg Boss and acted in operas like Ssshhhh...Koi Hai and Kora Kagaz.
Despite his acting career, he turned towards cricket in a different capacity. He was named the chief selector of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 2020 and was then part of the selection panel from January 2023 to August 2024. Ankola was part of the panel that picked the T20 World Cup 2024 squad. He was later replaced by Ajay Ratra in the selection panel.
