Hanuman Vihari, the former captain of Andhra Pradesh, recently disclosed the true motive behind his resignation over a month after stepping down. He cited political pressure as the driving force behind his decision and vowed not to represent Andhra Pradesh in cricket anymore. Vihari’s revelation follows Andhra Pradesh’s narrow loss to Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Ranji Trophy.
Hanuman Vihari took to Instagram on Monday to share an incident from his captaincy tenure, revealing that he raised his voice at a player. However, this action prompted the player to complain to his father, who happened to be a politician. Subsequently, the politician urged the Cricket Association to take disciplinary action against Vihari. (‘Grit, Determination, Resilience’: Virat Kohli Reacts To India Ending Bazball’s Winning Streak With Series Victory In Ranchi)
“We fought hard till the end but it wasn’t meant to be. Gutted to lose an other quarter 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 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,” the player said.
“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 knockouts 5 times in the last 7 years, and played for India in 16 tests,” Hanuman Vihari added.
Expressing his sentiments regarding the incident, Hanuman Vihari asserted that the Cricket Association operates under the assumption that players will unquestioningly comply with their directives. He described feeling deeply humiliated and embarrassed by the situation and made a firm commitment to refrain from representing Andhra Pradesh in the future.
“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,” Hanuman Vihari 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,” the former AP skipper added. (Hardik Pandya Returns To Competitive Cricket After World Cup Injury, Here’s How He Performed)
KN Prudhviraj claims Vihari seeking ‘Sympathy’
Andhra’s wicketkeeper-batsman, KN Prudhviraj, has strongly refuted the accusations leveled by Hanuma Vihari following the batter’s decision to step down from the state team.
In a comprehensive statement posted on his Instagram, Vihari attributed his resignation as captain to a confrontation with a player. (‘Dhruv Jurel Is The Real Jewel,’ Fans Go Crazy As Youngster Shines In India vs England 4th Test)
Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 26, 2024
Prudhviraj, revealing himself as the player in question via his Instagram profile, vehemently denied Vihari’s allegations, labeling them as entirely untrue.
“I am that guy you 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 bigger than anything. Personal attacks and vulgar language is unacceptable in any platform. Everyone in the team knows what has happened that day. Play this sympathy games, however you want,” Prudhviraj wrote on his Instagram.