Can you name the Indian cricketer who won a National Award in Indian cinema?

Salil Ankola, a former Indian cricketer, received a National Award as part of the cast for the Marathi film "Kurukshetra" (2013). The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. 

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Salil Ankola retired from cricket in 1997 to pursue acting. While Ankola's career in cricket was relatively brief, he transitioned into acting and has appeared in various films and television shows.

From Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar to Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, many cricketers have worked in Hindi films. But Salil Ankola retired from cricket at the age of 28 due to a bone tumor. After that, he started his acting career, however, his Bollywood career could never progress.

Ankola made his cricket debut in 1989

A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Salil Ankola made his debut for the Indian cricket team against Pakistan in a Test match in 1989. Apart from this, two cricketers who debuted in the same Test and became great players were Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis. However, this proved to be the only Test that Ankola played for India.

Ankola played 20 ODIs from 1989 to 1997 and was also part of India's squad for the 1996 Cricket World Cup, hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He played only one match against Sri Lanka in Delhi, in which he did not take any wickets in his five overs and did not get a chance to bat.

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Ankola made his acting debut in 1997

After making his acting debut in 1997 with the TV shows 'Chahat' and 'Nafrat', he acted in several TV shows in the early 2000s. Some of his shows 'Kora Kagaz', 'Kehta Hai Dil', 'Vikral' 'Gabral' and 'Rishtey' became quite popular and made him a star on Television. Ankola was also seen in the first season of Bigg Boss, but he was eliminated in the first week.

Ankola also tried his luck in Bollywood films like 'Kurukshetra', 'Pita', 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne' and 'Rivayat'. For 'Kurukshetra', he received the National Award.

From 2020 to 2021, Salil Ankola was the chief selector of the Mumbai Cricket Association.