Hanuma Vihari vs ACA: All you need to know about cricketer’s allegations

By
Teja Devathoti
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11
Hanuma Vihari

Indian batsman Hanuma Vihari made some serious allegations against the Andhra Cricket Association(ACA) for unethically removing him from captaincy. Vihari decided never to play for Andhra again after their loss against Madhya Pradesh in the fourth quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy 2024 on February 26 in Indore.

Chasing a target of 170 runs in the fourth innings, Andhra’s innings folded at 165, leading to a narrow defeat by five runs, with Vihari top-scoring with a 55-run knock.

Hanuma Vihari accuses ACA of Political interference

Announcing his decision not to play for Andhra again, Vihari posted a heartfelt message on Social handles, alleging political interference within the ACA as the reason for his captaincy being stripped after the Bengal game.

The 30-year-old revealed during the season opener that he had shouted at a player in his team who used his father’s political influence to get him removed from the captaincy despite Andhra chasing 410 to win the game against last season’s finalists, Bengal.

Following the incident, Andhra’s captaincy was handed over to Ricky Bhui, the leading run-scorer of the Elite Group this season with 902 runs from 13 innings. Moreover, Vihari accused the association of elevating individual players above the team’s collective goals, impeding the team’s overall development.

ACA player KN Prudhviraj responds to Vihari’s claims

Soon after Vihari’s allegations against ACA, Andhra WK-Batter Prudhvi Raj KN came out in the open to reveal that he was the player Vihari was talking about. Taking to his Instagram story, Prudhviraj accused Vihari of spreading misinformation. Furthermore, he alleged being subjected to personal insults and crude language while accusing Vihari of resorting to playing the sympathy card.

Hanuma Vihari
Prudhvi Raj’s Instagram story

The controversy kept escalating as Vihari gained support from most team players. They signed a letter sent to the ACA to bring Hanuma Vihari as captain of the team.

ACA responds to Hanuma Vihari’s allegations

On Monday evening, ACA posted a statement where they brought out several accusations against Vihari and mentioned previous instances of the batter’s inappropriate behaviour. The cricket board said that the player who was verbally abused by Vihari had filed an official complaint against the star batter following the incident.

“ACA upholds equal treatment for all players, without favoring individuals based on seniority or perceived importance. 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,” the statement read.

The association also addressed the captaincy change in their statement, which 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.”

However, Hanuma Vihari responds to ACA’s statement by saying, “Keep trying”, indicating his firm stand against ACA’s unethical behavior.

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