With an ailing back, he played a spectacular knock in Sydney, salvaging the match, and scored 23 runs off of 161 deliveries. This action took place exactly three years ago. India was able to achieve a series victory that was both pioneering and historic as a result of this. In the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals held in Indore the previous year, he bravely batted left-handed for Andhra despite having a fractured arm against the opposition. Hanuma Vihari’s spirit of battle was praised in public by Chandrakant Pandit, who is Hanuma Vihari’s rival coach.
He is popularly known for taking leave from his duty with India in order to play for his team on the eve of a vital Vijay Hazare Trophy game for Andhra over a number of years ago. This action ensured that his team qualified for the knockout stage of the competition. On the other hand, Vihari was abruptly removed from his position as Andhra captain on the eve of the second round of the Ranji Trophy in 2023-24, which was played against Mumbai at Mumbai.
Despite the fact that it is being referred to as a voluntary decision to stand down, there are several conspiracy theories and varied interpretations of the situation. Ricky Bhui, who had previously served as Vihari’s vice-captain, has been promoted to the position of captain.
“He wanted to take a break to focus on his batting; there was no pressure to remove him,” said chief selector RVCH Prasad, a version team manager Jugal Kishore Ghiya endorsed.
“There is no controversy there. It was Vihari’s personal decision,” Ghiya, a former Andhra player and legend, told Cricbuzz on the sidelines of the Mumbai-Andhra Ranji game.
However, those who have been following Andhra cricket attentively have a different story to tell about the captaincy change that occurred in the middle of the season. During the first match that took place in Visakhapatnam the previous week, it is stated that Vihari expressed his wrath and aggravation against a reserve player. The name of the player is being hidden on purpose in order to preserve his career development.
The association received a complaint from the player’s father, who is thought to be a powerful individual from Tirupati. The complaint was directed against the captain. A split organization, the Andhra Cricket Association, whose president Sarat Chandra Reddy was in Tihar for a long time for an alleged part in the Delhi liquor scandal, took the allegation seriously and pushed the selectors’ hand to replace Vihari as captain. The Andhra Cricket Association is a body that is divided. To add insult to injury, that player has been selected for the regular 15 for the match against Mumbai, despite the fact that he is not included in the playing XI.
Before the match in Mumbai, Vihari had played thirty games for Andhra and had led the team in each of those games, with a very high percentage of victories. At a very healthy average of 53, he is one of the ten Andhra hitters who have scored more than 2000 runs (2262) in their careers. Despite this, Vihari is considered an alien in certain circles of Andhra cricket due to the fact that he was born and raised in Hyderabad, a city that the middle-order hitter served as a representative for in forty matches.
In addition, there is a group that is advocating for KS Bharat, who is now playing for India A, to be given the role of captain. It is he who serves as the captain of the white-ball team. Another faction is of the opinion that the young player Shaik Rasheed, who won the Under-19 World Cup as vice-captain, should be given the responsibility of captaining the team. As of right now, Rasheed is serving as the side’s vice-captain.
