"Play this sympathy game..." - Andhra cricketer refutes Hanuma Vihari's sensational claims

Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari recently disclosed his decision to refrain from representing the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association (ACA) in the future. Vihari made the announcement via Instagram, citing political interference in the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association.

The ACA managed to retain Vihari for the season despite earlier reports indicating his departure. Vihari led Andhra Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.  However, he surprised many by stepping down as captain midway through the season, with Ricky Bhui taking over the role.

Vihari initially wanted to play for Madhya Pradesh for the 2023-24 season but was denied an NOC (No-Objection Certificate) by the Andhra Association. Despite this, the batter chose to continue as captain for another season for the Andhra team in domestic cricket.

Shouted On 17th Player And He Complained To His Dad – Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari recounted an incident during a match against Bengal where he shouted at the 17th player, prompting his removal from the captaincy by the association. Vihari clarified that his actions during the game were not personal but resulted in political interference.

“This post is about some facts I want to put forward. I was the captain in the first game against Bengal, during that game 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. Although, we chased 410 against last year’s finalists Bengal I was asked to resign from captaincy without any fault of mine.

“I never said anything on a personal note to the player but the association thought that player was more important than the guy who gave his body on the line last year and batted left handed, took Andhra to knock outs 5 times in the last 7 years and played for India in 16 tests,” Vihari wrote.

Ranji Trophy 2023/24 pic.twitter.com/PXHNG487BQ

— Hanuma vihari (@Hanumavihari) February 26, 2024

Andhra Pradesh reached the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season but suffered a narrow defeat against Madhya Pradesh in the knockout match. Vihari made a significant contribution of 55 runs in the fourth innings, but the team lost by just four runs.

Hanuma Vihari hasn’t featured for Team India since July 2022. His last appearance was in a Test against England. Across 16 Test matches, he has amassed 839 runs at an average of 33.56, including one century and five half-centuries.

Play This Sympathy Games However U Want – Prudhvi Raj

Prudhvi Raj, the 17th player mentioned by Hanuma Vihari, responded to the statement, denying any truth to the allegations. Raj urged against playing sympathy games, asserting that the truth of the incident is known to everyone on the team.

“Hello everyone iam that guy, you guys are searching in that comment box, what ever you guys heard is absolute false, no one is higher then game and my self respect is much more bigger then anything, personal attacks and vulger language is unacceptable in any kind of human platform Everyone in team knows what has happened in that day, Play this sympathy games, however u want”

Response by Prudhvi Raj to Hanuma Vihari.

Andhra Cricket is turning into a box office. pic.twitter.com/F0TZMIKfbi

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 26, 2024

Also read: “I’ll never play for Andhra” – ‘Humiliated’ and embarrassed’ Hanuma Vihari reveals sensational reason behind sacking as captain