Hanuma Vihari's 'mistreatment': ACA goes into damage control, to hold investigation

Amaravati: Dismissing senior batter Hanuma Vihari’s allegation of mistreatment, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) said it would conduct a comprehensive investigation into all the complaints and submit a factual report to the BCCI.

The ACA’s response comes a day after senior batter Hanuma Vihari stated that he will never play for the state.

Vihari triggered a storm when he went public with his alleged mistreatment. "Sad part is the association thinks that players have to listen to whatever they say and players are there because of them. 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 the association doesn't want us to grow," he wrote on Instagram.

Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) dismissed the allegations of mistreatment and emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive and professional atmosphere within the team. Andhra's campaign in the ongoing Ranji Trophy came to an end on Monday when they lost to Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals by four runs.

Political parties were quick to lap it up and criticize the Association.

Hanuma Vihari has been associated with the Hyderabad Cricket Association since his childhood. He moved to Andhra Pradesh in 2017 to participate in the Ranji Trophy and subsequently represented the Indian team. Following this stint, he returned to Hyderabad for the 2020 season before rejoining the Andhra team.

According to the ACA, during his time with Andhra, Vihari frequently requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to explore opportunities in other states, which was accommodated. However, on this occasion, Vihari was denied the NOC.

"Vihari had requested the Andhra Cricket Association to allow him to continue representing Andhra following his rejection from the Indian Cricket team and ended up issuing an apology, citing emotional frustration. Concerns raised by players' parents regarding the impact of such movements on local players' opportunities have been brought to the association's attention multiple times," the ACA stated.

Despite this, Vihari's experience has led the team management to retain him. ACA stated that Vihari is making false accusations on social media.

Hanuma Vihari has claimed that despite unanimous support from his teammates to retain him as captain, he was dismissed. Consequently, certain players have lodged complaints against Hanuma Vihari with the Andhra Cricket Association.

Allegations have been made that some players were intimidated into signing these complaints.

ACA forced to resign:

The middle-order batter, who has played 16 Tests for India, started the season as Andhra captain but stepped down after the first match against last year's runners-up Bengal. Ricky Bhui led the team for the rest of the season and now leads the season's run chart with 902 runs.

At the time, Vihari attributed his decision to move away from leadership role to "personal reasons" but now the right-handed batter said the association had asked him to resign. "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.

"Although we chased 410 against last year's finalists Bengal, I was asked to resign from captaincy without any fault of mine," said Vihari.

Complaint against Vihari

Earlier, the ACA is said to have received complaints regarding Vihari's conduct towards other players, including an incident during the Ranji match against Bengal.

"KN Prithvi Raj, the 17th member of the Andhra Ranji Trophy, did not secure a place in the Ranji team on one occasion. However, he has showcased commendable talent from his early years, participating in various age groups such as Under 14, Under 16, Under-19, Vinoo Mankad Trophy cricket tournament, Cooch Behar Trophy cricket tournament, Under 23, 25, and Col. C.K. Nayudu trophy cricket tournament. Prithvi also competed in the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament in 2023. During the Ranji Trophy match against Bengal in January this year, Hanuma Vihari, then serving as the team's captain, picked an injured player to play instead of Prithviraj," said the statement by ACA.

Later, a complaint was received alleging that Vihari publicly insulted the player during the match against Bengal, prompting the aggrieved player to lodge an official complaint with the ACA.

Furthermore, Hanuma Vihari had previously been reported to the Andhra Team Managers' Association for using inappropriate language and displaying misconduct towards fellow players during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. It was noted that Vihari's behavior contributed to a division within the team.

Recommendation for new captain:

In January 2024, following the first Ranji Trophy match, Vasireddy Chandramouli Prasad Chaudhary, Chairman of the ACA Senior Selection Committee, sent an email to the Andhra Cricket Association recommending a new captain in the light of complaints regarding Hanuma Vihari's behavior.

In response, Vihari also emailed the ACA, expressing his full compliance with the decision made by the selection committee. The Andhra Cricket Association did not intervene in this matter, affirming that the decision-making authority solely rests with the selection committee.