Hanuma Vihari To Play For Andhra Once Again; Meets Pawan Kalyan and Nara Lokesh

Hanuma Vihari is all set to play for Andhra once again in the upcoming domestic season after getting assurance from the Education minister Nara Lokesh. Also, he met Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and that helped him make the decision.

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): Cricketer Hanuma Vihari is all set to feature for Andhra in the upcoming domestic season. The 30-year-old had announced in February that he would cut ties with Andhra as he had lost his 'self-respect' after being forced to quit as skipper of the team.

Hanuma Vihari has clarified that he has decided to play for the Andhra cricket team again after an assurance from Education Minister Nara Lokesh, son of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He said that he will work hard to keep the team at a higher position. Vihari spoke to reporters after meeting Minister Lokesh at the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat.

"I brought the insults in the Vaikapa (previous) government to Lokesh's attention. He assured that there will be no problem with the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA). They said that we should take our team to the highest position. I have taken the team to the semis six times in the past. The previous government trampled my talent.

"The ACA leaders thought that if I was there, they would be in trouble. Even though I belong to the state, the previous rulers gave me trouble. I also took a No Objection Letter (NOC) to leave the Andhra team because of the humiliation of the Vaikapa(previous) government. Chandrababu (Naidu), Pawan Kalyan and (Nara) Lokesh stood by me when I was in trouble,' he said.

Education Minister Nara Lokesh said in a statement that Telugu Tejam Hanuma Vihari, who gave up the captaincy of the Andhra cricket team in humiliating circumstances due to excessive political interference, is being welcomed with special respect by the state government.

"The previous government appointed Sarathchandra Reddy, accused in the Delhi liquor scam, as the president of ACA. They started a political game in cricket. ACA hounded Hanuma Vihari, an incomparable talent, to promote Vaikapa leader's son Kuntrapaka Prithviraj in the 17th position. Vihari's unique experience was denied to others. If he was even bothered to give a no-objection letter to lead the team of other states, you can understand how partisan they were,' he said.

Hanuma Vihari, former captain of Andhra cricket team also met Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan at the Jana Sena Central office here. On this occasion, he explained to Pawan the difficulties he faced during Vaikapa's tenure.

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