Team India and former skipper of Andhra Pradesh, Hanuma Vihari, announced that he won’t represent Andhra again due to feeling disrespected by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA).
Before the current Ranji season kicked off, there were speculations about the right-handed batsman contemplating leaving Andhra. However, the ACA successfully managed to retain him for the ongoing season. Hanuma Vihari initially took on the role of captain in the team’s season-opener against Bengal but surprisingly stepped down after the game, with Ricky Bhui taking over.
The reason behind Vihari’s unexpected decision was unclear at the time, but after Andhra’s narrow loss to Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals, he opened up about the incident that led to his resignation. Taking to Instagram, Vihari expressed his disappointment over the defeat and then disclosed the incident. He mentioned having a heated exchange with the ’17th player’ during the tournament opener against Bengal, and the player subsequently complained to his politician father.
This revelation came as a candid moment after the quarterfinal loss, shedding light on the internal dynamics within the team and Vihari’s decision to step down as captain.
“We fought hard till the end but it wasn’t meant to be. Gutted to lose an another quarters with Andhra. This post is about some facts I want to put forward,” wrote Hanuma Vihari.
“I was the captain in the first game against Bengal, during that game I shouted on 17th player and he complained to his dad(who is a politician), his dad in return asked the Association to take action against me. Although, we chased 410 against last year’s finalists Bengal I was asked to resign from captaincy without any fault of mine.
“I never said anything on a personal note to the player but the association thought that player was more important than the guy who gave his body on the line last year and batted left handed, took Andhra to knock outs 5 times in the last 7 years and played for India in 16 tests,” he added.
Expressing his sentiments further, Hanuma Vihari admitted to feeling a sense of embarrassment due to the incident. However, he chose to persevere on the cricket field, driven by his deep love for the game and unwavering commitment to the team.
“I felt embarrassed but the only reason I continued playing this season because I respect the game and my team. Sad part is association thinks that players have to listen to whatever they say and players are there because of them.
“I felt humiliated and embarrassed but I’ve not expressed it out until today. I’ve decided that I’ll never play for Andhra where i lost my self respect. I love the team. I love the way we’re growing every season but association doesn’t want us to grow,” wrote Vihari.
Following the match against Bengal in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy, Vihari decided to step down as captain, citing personal reasons. Ricky Bhui then took on the leadership role starting from Andhra’s recent game against Mumbai at the BKC Ground last month.
Vihari kicked off his domestic cricket journey with Hyderabad back in 2010 and continued representing the team until the 2015/16 season. After a brief stint with Hyderabad in the 2021/22 season, he made a return to Andhra for the following season.
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