India Test discard Hanuma Vihari has alleged of being asked to resign as Andhra captain after their defeat to Bengal in their first match of Ranji Trophy 2024 for shouting at a squad member. Here is the controversy, explained.
Former Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari claimed in a lengthy social media post on Monday that he was removed from the captaincy after he yelled at No. 17, accusing him of abusing his father, a local politician said. complained. A subsequent complaint from his father prompted the Andhra Cricket Association to urge Mr. Vihari to resign. Mr. Bihari expressed his humiliation and embarrassment over the story.
On the same day, Andhra wicketkeeper-batsman Kunthlapakam Prudviraj, who identified himself as the player Vihari had mentioned, insisted that the allegations were “totally false” and interpreted the statement as “any way you like”. Please play the pity game,” he concluded. /p>
What is Vihari’s allegation?
In a social media post, Bihari said: “We fought hard till the end but it wasn’t to be. It’s unfortunate that we lost another quarter in Andhra. This post is about some facts that I would like to put forward.”
Ranji Trophy 2023/24 pic.twitter.com/PXHNG487BQ
– Hanuma Vihari (@Hanumavihari) 26. February 2024
He further revealed what happened during Andhra’s first match of the season against Bengal, which was played in Visakhapatnam from January 5 to 8. Vihari resigned as captain after this match.
“I was the captain in the first match against Bengal. During that match, I yelled at player No. 17, but he complained to his father (who is a politician) and my father yelled back at me. ”, urging the association to refute me. please.
“Despite winning 410 points against last year’s finalists Bengal, I was asked to resign as captain through no fault of my own. They didn’t say anything about it, but the federation felt this fighter was more important than Andhra, who put his body on the line and hit with his left hand last year, and who has been knocked out five times in the past seven years. After completing the Andhra player round, he played 16 Tests for India.
“It was embarrassing, but the only reason I kept playing this season is because I respect the game and the team.Sadly, the association said the players had to listen to everything they said. Rather, the players believe that they are here for the players.
“I felt humiliated and embarrassed, but I didn’t express it until today. I lost my self-respect and decided never to play for Andhra. I love the team. I love how we grow each season, but the association doesn’t want us to grow.”
Bihari also posted a photo of a letter written to the ACA president and secretary and signed by 15 members of his team. The letter asked the state association to reinstate him as captain, claimed Vihari did not have an aggressive approach towards players and defended the language he used towards them.
The whole team knows! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/l5dFkmjGN9
– Hanuma Vihari (@Hanumavihari) 26. February 2024
What is Prudhviraj’s stance?
In his Instagram Story, Prudviraj did not directly name Vihari, but insisted that all the allegations were false and that his team was aware of them.
“Hello everyone. I’m that guy. You’re searching for this comment box. Everything you’ve heard is absolutely wrong. No one is better than the game. I ‘s self-esteem is much higher than any other, it’s personal.” Attacks and vulgar language are unacceptable on any kind of human platform.
“Everyone on the team knows what happened that day, nubu intak minchi emi picklev (we can’t do anything more anyway), Mr., the so-called champion.”
Here’s a snapshot of his Instagram post:
What happened after the incident?
After being asked to resign, Vihari stepped down as Andhra captain and Ricky Bhui took over the reins. He continued to lead Andhra until his team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Madhya Pradesh, the same team they lost in last year’s semi-finals.
Vihari was due to move to Madhya Pradesh ahead of the 2023-24 season, but he stayed. Vihari, who has insisted that he will not play for Andhra anymore, could move to MP next season.
He made another post on social media on Monday night, playing against ACA [Andhra Cricket Association] again.
– Hanuma Vihari (@Hanumavihari) 26. February 2024
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.