The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has claimed that its players were threatened to sign a letter of support for Hanuma Vihari that called for his reinstatement as the team captain. Vihari was removed as Andhra captain after their Ranji Trophy 2023-24 opener against Bengal with Ricky Bhui replacing him into the role.
Andhra lost to Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals following which Vihari vowed to never play for the state team again alleging mistreatment from the association.
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Vihari claimed via a post on Instagram that he was removed as captain after a politically influential complained against him for ‘shouting’ at him during a match following which he lost the captaincy.
ACA denied those claims after which Vihari shared a picture of a letter of support signed by several Andhra players mentioning the alleged incident. It claimed that the language that Vihari used against the aforementioned player was pretty common in the team atmosphere and dressing room.
Now, as per a report in the India Today, ACA has issued a fresh statement alleging players being threatened to sign the letter.
“Hanuma Vihari has alleged that despite all the players in the team supporting him to continue as the captain, he was removed. In this regard, the concerned players have complained to the Andhra Cricket Association against Vihari,” the publication quoted ACA as saying.
“Some players have complained to the Andhra Cricket Association that they were forced to sign under threats. Andhra Cricket Association will thoroughly investigate all the complaints received and report the facts to the BCCI,” it added.
The player who allegedly complained is Prudhvi Raj KN who is a 17th member of their Ranji squad.
“In the Ranji Trophy match against Bengal in January this year, Hanuma Vihari, who was then captain of the team, played another injured wicket-keeper, not Prithviraj. We also received a complaint that Vihari had personally insulted the player in front of everyone during the Ranji match in Bengal. The aggrieved player lodged an official complaint with the Andhra Cricket Association,” ACA said.
“Moreover, players had previously complained to the Andhra Team Managers Association that Vihari used foul language and misbehaved with fellow players during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. It was stated that due to the behaviour of Hanuma Vihari, there was a class difference in the team,” it added.
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