Ankola, a tall, good-looking and athletic fast bowler, made a dramatic debut for Bombay in 1988-89, grabbing a hat-trick and scoring 43 against Gujarat, and following up with a six-wicket haul against Baroda. He was almost immediately drafted into the Indian side, taking 6 for 77 in the tour-opener in Pakistan in 1989-90 and making his Test debut - against Pakistan at Karachi- where he took 2 for 128. But injuries - not helped by an extremely long run-up - took their toll and he didn't appear again in that series - in fact, the Karachi game was to be his only Test appearance. In 1990 he worked with Frank Tyson on remodelling his approach to the wicket, and returned with a shorter run, less pace but much-improved control. He returned to the Indian one-day side in 1993 but was again cast aside the following year, his place not helped by his reputation as a poor fielder. He was recalled to the side for the 1996 World Cup, and played in one subsequent series before again being dropped. Within a year, aged only 28, he had retired to pursue a career as an actor. He appeared in a TV serial - Sshh... Koi Hai as well as several film rolls. He subsequently turned his attention to film production.
Martin Williamson