'Will never play for Andhra': Hanuma Vihari claims captaincy stripped over confrontation with politician's son
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Feb 26, 2024, 3:27 PM ISTIn a post on Instagram on Monday, Hanuma Vihari opened up about the challenges he faced during the Indian domestic cricket season. The post sheds light on an unfortunate incident that led to his resignation as captain of the Andhra cricket team.
Following a thrilling 4-run victory by Madhya Pradesh over Andhra, securing a spot in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals, cricketer Hanuma Vihari made a startling announcement on Instagram. He declared his intention to 'never play' for Andhra again, citing a loss of self-respect after being asked to resign from captaincy due to a confrontation with a politician's son. However, the cricketer did not reveal the name of the player in his allegations.
In a post on Instagram on Monday, Hanuma Vihari opened up about the challenges he faced during the Indian domestic cricket season. The post sheds light on an unfortunate incident that led to his resignation as captain of the Andhra cricket team. Vihari, who has represented India in 16 Tests and played a crucial role in Andhra's journey to the knockouts in five of the last seven years, expressed his frustration and disappointment with the cricket association's decision.
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Hanuma Vihari narrated an incident during the first game against Bengal, where he found himself at the center of controversy. As the captain, Vihari shouted at the 17th player during the match, and the player, who happened to be the son of a politician, complained to his influential father. In an unexpected turn of events, the politician approached the cricket association, urging them to take action against Vihari.
Despite leading his team to a remarkable victory by chasing 410 against Bengal, Vihari was asked to resign from captaincy. The decision seemed unjust to Vihari, who emphasized that he never made any personal remarks against the player. The association's action left Vihari feeling embarrassed, humiliated, and questioning the priorities set by the cricket hierarchy.
"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," said Vihari on Instagram.
"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.
In his Instagram post, Hanuma Vihari revealed that despite feeling embarrassed and humiliated, he continued playing for Andhra in the ongoing season out of respect for the game and his team. However, he ultimately decided to take a stand for his self-respect, announcing that he would never play for Andhra again. Vihari's love for the team is evident, but the association's actions have pushed him to prioritize his self-respect over his commitment to the state 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," he said.
"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," he concluded.
'Play this sympathy games however you want'
Following Hanuma Vihari's post, Andhra cricketer Prudhvi Raj took to Instagram to claim that he is the person in question and went on to dismiss these allegations, stating that everyone in the team knows what transpired on the day the confrontation took place.
In an Instagram story, Prudhvi Raj said, "Hello everyone. I am the guy you guys 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 more bigger than anything."
Response by Prudhvi Raj to Hanuma Vihari.
Andhra Cricket is turning into a box office. pic.twitter.com/F0TZMIKfbi
"Personal attacks and vulgar language is unacceptable in any kind of human platform. Everyone in the team knows what had happened in that day. You can't get any better than this, Mr so called champion" he further stated.
"Play this sympathy games, however you want," the cricketer concluded in the post.
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