Indore (Madhya Pradesh)/Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): India batter Hanuma Vihari on Monday said in a detailed post on his social media accounts that he will never play for Andhra in domestic cricket after being made to leave captaincy of the team in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA).
Vihari’s revelation came after Andhra lost to Madhya Pradesh by five runs in the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2023/24 season at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
Vihari said he was asked to resign from captaincy following Andhra's first game of the season against Bengal after he shouted at the 17th player in the team, who was a politician's son.
"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. 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,” Vihari said.
"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 in his detailed post.
Vihari began his domestic cricket career with Hyderabad in 2010 and played for the side until the 2015/16 season. He later returned to play for Hyderabad in the 2021/22 season, before moving back to Andhra for the next season.
After that match against Bengal in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy, Vihari stepped down from captaincy citing personal reasons, with Ricky Bhui taking over the leadership mantle from Andhra’s next match against Mumbai at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in Mumbai in January.
The 17th player in question, wicketkeeper-batter KN Prudhviraj, who’s yet to play a first-class match, wrote in response on Instagram, "Hello everyone, I am that guy you are searching in that comment box. Whatever you guys heard is absolute false, no one is higher than the game and my self-respect is much bigger than anything."
"Personal attacks and vulgar language is unacceptable in any platform. Everyone in the team knows what has happened that day. This is the most you can do. Play this sympathy games, however you want," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) issued a statement and ordered an inquiry into the entire matter.
"We have acknowledged Mr Hanuma Vihari's statements, where he raised allegations against the Andhra Cricket Association, particularly concerning his captaincy stint. ACA upholds equal treatment for all players, without favouring individuals based on seniority or perceived importance.
"Addressing the reported issue, it has come to our attention that Mr Vihari personally verbally abused a specific player during the Bengal Ranji game in front of everyone. The affected player filed an official complaint with the ACA," the ACA said in the statement.
According to the ACA, complaints were received from teammates, support staff and ACA administration about Vihari's foul language and abusive behaviour.
"Personally during the Mushtaq Ali tournament, the Andhra team manager lodged complaints about internal groupism. Since joining Andhra from Hyderabad, Vihari has frequently sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to move to other states after receiving offers. On occasions, he swiftly reversed this decision, apologising for expressing frustration and expressing a desire to continue playing for Andhra. Considering his experience, which will ultimately benefit the Andhra Cricket Team, we have accepted his request to continue.
"ACA will conduct a through inquiry into all the complaints and the duo course of action will be communicated in the near future," the ACA stated.
