The bitter feud between Hanuma Vihari and the Andhra Cricket Association took a new turn when the state organisation announced a probe against the senior batter, who accused the ACA of pushing him to leave as captain at the start of the current season. Andhra's Ranji Trophy season ended in defeat on Monday, and Vihari said that he will never play for the team again due to ''mistreatment'' by the state association.
Vihari also slammed a reserve teammate (the son of a politician), alleging that he had requested his father to take action against him after the seasoned player yelled at him during a match. The ACA reported that it had received a complaint against Vihari from a junior player at the time. Vihari had posted a copy of his statement on his X account, signed by other Andhra squad players, with a one-line comment: "the complete team knows (what transpired on that day)." "The sad aspect is that the association believes that players must listen to whatever they say, and that players are there for them. I've determined that I would never play for Andhra, where I lost my self-esteem."
"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," Andhra Cricket Association said in their statement.
The association also addressed the captaincy change in their statement. The statement revealed, "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 the senior selection committee."
The board also claimed that they received complaints from Vihari's teammates, support personnel, and ACA administrators about the batter's harsh language and abusive attitude. ACA further accused Vihari of routinely requesting a No Objection Certificate to transfer to other state teams but then quickly reversed the decision. The board went on to announce that they will investigate all concerns.
