"During the Bengal game, I shouted at the 17th player, and he complained to his dad who is a politician."
Hanuma Vihari has decided not to play for Andhra again due to the humiliating treatment he received from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) during the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy.
He made this revelation after Andhra lost to Madhya Pradesh by four runs in Indore, ending their hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the first time.
Vihari led Andhra's chase of 170 with a determined 55, the highest score in their second innings. He finished the Ranji season with 522 runs in 13 innings, the second-highest for Andhra after Ricky Bhui's tally of 902.
In an Instagram post, Vihari claimed that he was compelled to relinquish his captaincy after Andhra's opening round match against Bengal in January. He had previously cited personal reasons for his decision, but on Saturday he revealed that the association had taken 'action' against him due to political interference:
“I was a captain in the first game against Bengal, and during the game, I shouted at the 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 [for a first-innings lead], I was asked to resign from captaincy without any fault of mine.”
The ACA issued a statement later in the day in response, stating that there were concerns regarding Vihari's captaincy during the Bengal Ranji game. The statement also mentioned that Mr. Vihari had verbally abused a specific player in front of everyone and that the affected player had filed an official complaint with the ACA.
The association stated that the chairman of the selection committee made the decision to remove Vihari as captain due to his status as a prospect for India, which could affect his availability for the entire season.
Regarding the incident, Vihari expressed feeling humiliated and embarrassed. However, he continued to play under Bhui's leadership as Andhra achieved the second position in Group B with three outright victories in seven matches.
Incidentally, Vihari finished the season playing against Madhya Pradesh, the team he was expected to join and lead before the current season. Vihari had been in talks with Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit and the state association about the possibility of turning professional, and would have bolstered a strong batting line-up that included the likes of Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer and Shubham Sharma.
However, the deal fell through at the last moment, and neither party has specified the reasons. ACA persuaded him to stay on before the Duleep Trophy, where he led South Zone to the title.
Vihari began his career with Hyderabad and moved to Andhra in 2015-16. He briefly returned to Hyderabad before the 2021-22 season and then moved back to Andhra.
Vihari has not been part of India's Test squad since July 2022, when they played the final Test of the five-match series in England, about a year and a half after his most famous performance for India in Sydney.
In his 16-match Test career to date, Vihari has scored 839 runs at an average of 33.56. He has only scored one century, which was in the West Indies.