The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has served a show cause notice to Hanuma Vihari, in response to the former Andhra skipper pointing out political interferences in the association that led to his ousting as the captain in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season.
“Yes, we have served him a show-cause notice and we are awaiting his reply,” an ACA official told PTI. “This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances. After all, we value Vihari and his contributions to the growth of state cricket as he has played a big part in Andhra going up in the ranks in domestic cricket.”
ACA’s notice comes a month after Vihari had taken to his social media to announce that he will “never play for Andhra again”, alleging that he was forced to step down from his role as captain. “I was captain in the first game against Bengal, and during the game, I shouted at 17th player, and he complained to his dad (who is a politician),” Vihari wrote.
“His dad in return asked the association to take action against me. Although we chased 410 against last year’s finalists Bengal [for a first-innings lead], 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 the player was more important than the guy who gave his body on the line last year and batted left-handed, took Andhra to the knockouts five times in the last seven years and played for India in 16 Tests,” he added.
Though Vihari didn’t make the 17th player’s name public, Andhra wicket-keeper batter KN Prudhviraj, a cricketer yet to make his first-class debut, responded. “I am that guy you are searching in that comment box. Whatever you guys heard is absolutely false, no one is higher than the game and my self-respect is much bigger than anything. Personal attacks and vulgar language is unacceptable in any platform. Everyone in the team knows what has happened that day. Play this sympathy games, however you want,” wrote Prudhviraj, whose father is Kuntrapakam Narsimha, a YSRCP politician.
The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) had – on the same day – denied Vihari’s claims that he was removed from the captaincy because of the alleged interference. In a statement, the ACA said: “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.”
Vihari demands NOC
According to ESPN Cricinfo, responding to the show cause notice, Vihari has said told the ACA in an e-mail that he had already “put out the facts” about the “unfair” treatment he had faced during the 2023-24 Ranji season that saw Andhra bow out during the quarter-final stages.
Furthermore, the 30-year-old has also asked of a no-objection certificate from the ACA in order to pursue a domestic career elsewhere.
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