The body of former India fast bowler Salil Ankola’s mother, Mala Ashok Ankola, was found in her apartment in Pune on Friday afternoon. The 77-year-old was found with slit throat at her flat on Prabhat Road in the Deccan Gymkhana area. Preliminary assessments by police suggested the injuries were self-inflicted.
According to the officials, Mala Ankola stayed with her daughter. The incident occurred when the family maid found the door unanswered upon arriving at the apartment and alerted the relatives. “When the door was opened, the woman was found dead with her throat slit. Prima facie, it appears to be self-inflicted. Still, we are investigating the case from all angles,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, Sandip Singh Gill, adding that she was suffering from a mental ailment.
Though she was immediately taken to a private hospital, efforts to revive her proved futile as Ankola was declared dead. The police have registered an accidental death report and continue their investigation into the death to ascertain the circumstances that led to her death.
Salil Ankola’s Cricket Journey
Salil Ankola burst into the cricket arena quite dramatically in the 1988-89 season when playing for Bombay and bagged a hat-trick to go with his 43 runs against Gujarat. Some good performances, particularly a six-wicket haul against Baroda, thrust him into the Indian national team. He first donned national colors during the 1989-90 tour against Pakistan and immediately announced his presence when he managed a six-wicket haul.
However, his international career was limited by a series of injuries, particularly because he had a very long approach to the bowling wicket after his solitary Test appearance in Karachi, where he took 2 wickets for 128 runs.
He returned to the ODI squad in 1993 but struggled through it. He was also blamed for poor fielding, which led to his dropping the following year. Although he was briefly recalled during the 1996 World Cup, his international cricket career ended shortly after, and he began acting as a professional.
Apart from playing, Ankola was chief selector for Mumbai and later a national selector. He was on the selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar until he was replaced by Ajay Ratra last month.
