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Hanuma Vihari has made a surprising decision to reverse course and continue playing domestic cricket for Andhra Pradesh. Despite obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) earlier this month, the 30-year-old opted not to submit it to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MCA) to represent them.
Recent political developments in Andhra Pradesh, particularly with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) assuming leadership in the state, played a pivotal role in Vihari’s choice to remain. The recent appointment of N Chandrababu Naidu as Chief Minister also influenced his decision.
After a contentious removal from captaincy and his earlier declaration of not representing Andhra Pradesh again, State Minister Nara Lokesh extended an invitation for Vihari to rejoin the state team.
Hanuma Vihari has made a dramatic decision to return to Andhra Pradesh cricket, accepting the invitation warmly and expressing his satisfaction at rejoining the team. Previously, the Indian batter had voiced concerns about his treatment within the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), highlighting an incident where he felt pressured to resign from captaincy following an altercation with a teammate, whose father is a prominent politician.
The controversy stirred political reactions, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu criticizing the situation and characterizing it as driven by actions from the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP).
Recently, Vihari met with Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Nara Lokesh, State Minister and son of CM N Chandrababu Naidu, who assured him of their full support upon his return to the state team.
Hanuma Vihari said in a statement: “So happy to meet Minister Nara Lokesh Garu today and he assured me that I will have full support coming back to Andhra Cricket Association. I am so happy meeting him and I have got full assurance after meeting him and understand his aspirations for Andhra Cricket Association and for Andhra as well. I look forward to success of Andhra cricket and I want to be part of it. It’s good to be back in Andhra cricket.”
He added, “What I faced last couple of years was a lot of humiliation. I lost my self-respect. I wanted to leave Andhra Cricket Association and move to another state but after meeting Nara Lokesh garu I have got the assurance that I have to represent my Telugu state and I am really happy doing so. So, I am looking forward to coming back to ACA and serving Andhra for along time to come.”
Nara Lokesh: Hanuma Vihari will have our full support
Nara Lokesh said: “Delighted to meet Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari today. How he was subjected to political bullying, humiliated and driven out of Andhra Cricket by the earlier government was shameful. I have invited him back to Andhra Pradesh and asked him to strive to make Telugus proud once again. He will have our full support.”
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government released an official statement reaffirming its dedication to promoting sportsmanship and fair competition. The statement strongly denounced any form of political interference in sports and underscored its stance against such actions.
It highlighted that Hanuma Vihari had faced the abrupt removal of his captaincy and subsequent pressure to resign from the state team, reportedly influenced by political factors under the previous administration. The government expressed its commitment to ensuring transparency and integrity in sports administration.
