Amaravati: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu has targeted the ruling YSRCP led by Jagan Mohan Reddy over the unceremonious removal of test cricketer and state captain Hanuma Vihari from the post saying that the Andhra Cricket Association has “succumbed to YSRCP's vindictive politics”.
In a post on X, Naidu said that an Indian international cricketer like Vihari “has been targeted to the point where he has vowed to never play for Andhra Pradesh”.
"It's a shame that even the Andhra Cricket Association has succumbed to YSRCP's vindictive politics. Hanuma Vihari a brilliant Indian international cricketer, has been targeted to the point where he has vowed to never play for Andhra Pradesh. Hanuma, stay strong - your integrity and commitment to the game speak volumes. These unjust actions don't reflect the true spirit of Andhra Pradesh or our people. We stand with you, and we'll ensure justice prevails,” Naidu wrote.
After Andhra Pradesh's narrow defeat against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranjhi Trophy Quaterfinal on Monday Feb 26, former Andhra Captain and budding test cricketer, Hanuma Vihari has made bombshell allegations against the Andhra Cricket Association of unceremoniously removing him from the captaincy with the ACA too coming up with counter allegations.
Soon after the Ranjhi match, Vihari claimed in an Instagram post that he was pressured to resign from captaincy following an altercation with a player, who happened to be the son of a “prominent politician”. Vihari is believed to have referred to Andhra cricketer Prudhvi Raj KN. Vihari also vowed to never play for Andhra again.
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," Vihari wrote in the post.
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. I felt embarrassed but the only reason I continued playing this season because I respect the game and my team," he added.
"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".
Responding to Vihari's post, Prudhvi too took to Instagram while accusing Vihari of using foul language against and abusing him in the dressing room as captain. But Vihari hit back at Prudhvi with a joint letter signed by the members of the Andhra cricket team.
In the joint letter, the Andhra cricket team members said that a complaint has been issued by a fellow teammate in the Ranji squad that Vihari has used foul language and has approached him aggressively, “but the truth is he has not approached him aggressively and this sort of language has been a very common thing in our team atmosphere and it is always in getting the best out of the team, and it has been used since long ages in team dressing rooms”.
“Unfortunately one of the team member took it personally. We all the team players including the support staff have been witness to it, and we want Vihari to continue as our captain. Since we have no issues with him and he always brought best out of us and as you can see the team has done very well and united in his leadership and also qualified more than 7 times under his leadership. Sir this Ranji season means a lot us as players and we have prepared so well and also started the tournament with a win against Bengal. As Andhra Ranji team players we want Vihari to lead our side,” reads the letter.
Responding to the allegations by Vihari, the Andhra Cricket Association came up with a statement in this regard. “We have acknowledged Mr. Hanuma Vihari's statements, who has raised allegations against the Andhra Cricket Association, particularly concerning his Captaincy stint. ACA upholds equal treatment for all players, without favoring individuals based on seniority or perceived importance,” the ACA said.
“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 ACA,” added the ACA while referring to Prudhvi's allegations.
The ACA further said that in January 2024, following the first Ranji Trophy game, an email from the Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee proposed a new captain due to Vihari's status as an Indian prospect affecting his season-long availability. “Vihari, in response, expressed appreciation for the decision, leading to Ricky Bhui being announced as the new captain by Senior selection committee,” it said.
“Complaints were received from teammates, support staff, and ACA administrators about Vihari's use of foul language and abusive behavior. Previously, during the Mushtaq Ali tournament, the Andhra team manager lodged complaints about internal groupism,” added the ACA. It further claimed that 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, apologizing for expressing frustration and expressing a desire to continue playing for Andhra. Considering his experience, which will ultimately benefit the Andhra Cricket Tears, we have accepted his request to continue. ACA will conduct a thorough inquiry into all the complaints and the due course of action will be communicated in the near future,” it said.
