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Hanuma Vihari leaves Andhra Pradesh to join Tripura on a one-year contract, seeking new challenges after disputes with the state board and exclusion from T20 plans.
Hanuma Vihari has left AP for Tripura.
(AFP Photo)
Former Andhra Pradesh captain Hanuma Vihari has finally left the state team and joined Tripura on a one-year contract, extendable by another with mutual consent. He said Andhra didn’t see him in his T20 plans, and he decided against representing them otherwise, too, and will now test himself in a new environment.
Once an established middle-order batter in the Indian team, Vihari has had an extraordinarily roller-coaster time in domestic cricket in the last couple of years. He went against the state board with allegations of favoritism after the 2023-24 season and tried several times to move out but it didn’t materialise.
“I was keen on other opportunities since I believe I’m good enough to play all three formats,” Vihari told ESPNcricinfo. “Andhra made it clear they were looking at youngsters for the T20 format. That was why I decided it didn’t make sense playing even the 50-over format, so I sat out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. I also wanted to play in a new environment.”
Last season, a transfer to Madhya Pradesh looked likely, but he was made to change his mind by Nara Lokesh, the general secretary of Andhra’s ruling party, TDP. Vihari, still just 31, will hope the saga is finally over.
“For the last two seasons, I’d been talking of going out [he’d been in talks with Madhya Pradesh], but I stayed back,” Vihari said of the previous season. “I felt given the circumstances around me, and also where my own cricket is at, this was the best time to sign with an upcoming team. This year they approached me first, and I felt it’ll be a challenge worth taking up.”
Vihari, though not announced as the captain yet, is also looking forward ot his contributions in the leadership group.
“As a senior player, I’ll contribute whatever the team expects of me, from a leadership standpoint whether I’m captain or not,” he said. “They’ve got some decent players. I wanted to play in a team where I can build [the squad], and be part of a setup that is hungry to challenge the bigger teams.”
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
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