Andhra Pradesh's campaign at 2023-24 Ranji Trophy ended after the side's four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-finals.
In a shocking revelation, discarded India batter Hanuma Vihari has revealed the reason why he left the Andhra captaincy after the side’s first match of the season. Vihari was appointed Andhra Pradesh’s captain at the start of the season. He led the team against Bengal where Andhra scored 445 in reply to Bengal’s 409 in the first innings, thus, taking crucial points on first innings lead.
But Vihari decided to step down before the team’s next game against Mumbai. Ricky Bhui, the other experienced middle order batter, took over the reigns for the rest of the season. Bhui had scored 175 against Bengal, which helped Andhra take a first innings lead.
Hanuma Vihari’s Instagram Post:
“I shouted on 17th player and he complained to his dad (who is a politician), his dad in return asked the Association to take action against me.”
This looks really bad.#RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/xiojFfHBWX
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) February 26, 2024
On Monday (26 February 2024), Andhra Pradesh lost its quarter-final fixture to Madhya Pradesh at Indore by a margin of just 4 runs, leaving the side in a shock. In his Instagram post, Hanuma Vihari revealed the reason behind quitting the captaincy midway through the tournament.
“I shouted on 17th player and he complained to his dad (who is a politician), his dad in return asked the Association to take action against me,” Vihari wrote in his post.
“Although we chased 410 against last year’s finalists Bengal, I was asked to resign from captaincy without any fault of mine,” Vihari further added.
“I felt embarrassed but the only reason I continued playing this season because I respect the game and team,” he reasoned why he continued playing the rest of the season despite so much happening within the management.
He also stated that he will never play for Andhra Pradesh again. This means we can see Hanuma Vihari playing for a different state from the next season.
Andhra Pradesh finished second on Group B behind Mumbai with 26 points and qualified for the quarter-finals. But a loss to Madhya Pradesh ended their campaign.
Andhra had conceded a 62-run-lead to MP in the quarter-finals after the first innings but came back strongly by bowling out the opposition for just 107. Chasing 170 to win, they could manage only 165, with Vihari top-scoring for the team with 55.
The 30-year-old is an experienced player in first-class cricket with 124 first-class matches to his name. He has scored 9325 runs at an average of 51.80 with 24 centuries to his name. He is currently not a part of India’s squad.
The Test specialist was dropped from the Indian team due to poor form in 2022 and is looking to make a comeback. Vihari played a crucial role in India’s Test series win in Australia during 2020-21. Despite being injured, he alongside R Ashwin, helped India eke out a draw in the third Test at Sydney.
