Veteran India batter Hanuma Vihari has refuted the Andhra Cricket Association’s (ACA) claims that he hadn’t replied to a show-cause notice issued to him. However, Vihari had slammed during the 2023-24 Ranji season about political interference costing him his captaincy and that “he would never play for Andhra again” as well.

Notably, on March 25, the ACA had sent a notice to Vihari over email, calling for an explanation of his comments as well. In his response, seen by ESPNcricinfo, Vihari shared he had “put out the facts” about the “unfair” treatment towards him.

Hanuma Vihari opened up on the “unfair” treatment towards him

“I want to move out and play for another team. I’ve asked ACA for a no-objection certificate. I’m awaiting a response,” Vihari told ESPNcricinfo.

However, on Thursday afternoon, PTI reported that the ACA has served the notice, roughly a month after the veteran batter raised objections at the way he was ousted as Andhra captain and that he hadn’t responded as well.

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“Yes, we have served him a show-cause notice and we are awaiting his reply,” an ACA official told PTI on condition of anonymity. “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.”

On February 26, Hanuma Vihari said he would “never play for Andhra” again, claiming the treatment he had received at the hands of the ACA during the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy was humiliating for him. He shared not long after Andhra had lost their quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh by just four runs as well.

In an Instagram post, Hanuma Vihari alleged that he was forced to step down from the leadership role following Andhra’s opening-round game against Bengal in January. At the time, he had said “personal reasons” for the decision, but later on Saturday revealed that the truth was that the association had taken “action” against him because of political interference as well.

Hanuma Vihari was a key player for India in the longer format

“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 again added.

The ACA issued a statement later on the same day, saying, “It has come to our attention that Mr Vihari personally verbally abused a specific player during the Bengal Ranji game in front of everyone. The affected player filed an official complaint with the ACA.”

Andra Ranji cricket team threw their support behind Hanuma Vihari after he was stripped of the captaincy by the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) during the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.

Vihari’s revelation came in the aftermath of Andhra’s narrow defeat to Madhya Pradesh by five runs in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Monday. Vihari took to social media to share a post where the entire team rallied behind him, urging the cricket board to reinstate him as captain. Here is the post:

“This is regarding the recent issue involving HANUMA VIHARI. A complaint was lodged by a fellow teammate in the Ranji squad alleging that Vihari had used offensive language and approached him aggressively. However, the truth is that there was no aggressive approach, and such language is commonplace in our team environment, aimed at pushing each other to perform better. Unfortunately, one member took it personally,” the social media post stated.

“All team players, along with the support staff, can attest to this. We firmly stand behind Vihari and wish for him to continue as our captain. We have no grievances against him; he has consistently brought out the best in us. Under his leadership, our team has consistently performed well and has qualified for the playoffs more than seven times. This Ranji season holds immense significance for us, and we have prepared diligently for it. As members of the Andhra Ranji team, we wholeheartedly support Vihari to lead us,” the post continued.

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Response and Clarification: The Controversy Unraveled

Vihari disclosed that he was asked to step down from captaincy following Andhra’s opening game against Bengal after an incident where he reprimanded the 17th player in the team, who happened to be a politician’s son.

Responding to the situation on Instagram, the player in question, wicketkeeper-batter KN Prudhviraj, who is yet to make his first-class debut, stated, “Hello everyone, I am the individual referenced in the comments. Whatever rumors you’ve heard are entirely false; no one is above the game, and my self-respect is paramount.”

“Personal attacks and vulgar language are intolerable in any setting. Everyone within the team is aware of what transpired that day. This is the extent of my response. Play these sympathy games however you wish,” he concluded.