Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari declared that he will no longer play for Andhra. This decision followed Andhra’s defeat in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals against Madhya Pradesh by a narrow margin of four runs. Vihari, an experienced middle-order batsman claimed on Instagram that he was compelled to resign as captain after Andhra’s match against Bengal in January.
During a match against West Bengal, Hanuma Vihari raised his voice at a player. This player complained to his father, a local politician of ruling party who reportedly contacted the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) to take action against Vihari. Consequently, Vihari claims that he was forced to step down from the captaincy, despite not being at fault.
Reacting to this, the actor/Politician Pawan Kalyan took to his X handle and said that Hanuma Vihari, who represented the country in 16 Test Matches and scored 5 half-centuries and a century, faced a disappointing situation. He added that Hanuma, as the captain of Andhra Pradesh’s Ranji Team, he helped them qualify for the knockouts multiple times, but the Andhra Cricket Association forced him to resign due to pressure from a local politician. He also said that its shameful to give more value to a local politician over a Indian cricketer.
He questioned Jagan Mohan Reddy about spending crores of money for events like ‘Adudam Andhra’ when State Cricket Association insults the State cricket team captain.
He thanked Hanuma for his services and inspiring kids and players in the stae and added that he stands with Vihari and hope he continues to play for Andhra Pradesh with a state board that knows to respect the players with dignity.
Represented our ‘Bharath’ in 16 Test Matches, Scored 5 half Centuries & a Century, His Heroics in Sydney Test against Australia is unforgettable.
As Andhra Pradesh Ranji Team captain, helped Andhra Team to qualify for the knockouts 5 times in the last 7 years. From Playing with… pic.twitter.com/Z3bQOqwKeE
— Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) February 27, 2024