'I was forced to resign, was not okay with it' - Hanuma Vihari provides further details around recent drama regarding Andhra Pradesh Cricket

After Andhra Pradesh's journey came to an end in the Ranji Trophy 2024 by losing a thriller of an encounter against Madhya Padesh by 4 runs, Following Andhra Pradesh's exit from the Ranji Trophy 2024 tournament, Hanuma Vihari addressed purported irregularities within the state cricket board via Instagram, leading to his resignation from the captaincy due to what he perceived as miscondut. Notably, the cricketer revealed that he had a verbal argument with a teammate, whose father turned out to be a politician and complained to the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), which led to Vihari's resignation.

Providing further clarity on the matter, Vihari mentioned that player number 17, Kuntrapakam Narsimha Prudhviraj was a reserve player and wasn’t supposed to be in the dressing room. He added that upon correcting, the youngster didn’t take it on a positive note and later on lodged a complaint, which forced him to quit captaincy.

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“It so happened that I shouted at a player, the 17th player who was not supposed to be in the dressing room. According to rules, he was not supposed to be there. But he took it the wrong way and he complained to his father. And everything went wrong from there. They complained about me. And without any wrongdoing from my side, they removed me from the post of captain. Still, I continued playing for the team, because I loved the game and respected the game,” Vihari said while talking to India Today.

Vihari mentioned that the incident took place a couple of months back and it has been very tough for him ever since. The experience hurt his self-respect, which made him announce his departure from the Andhra Pradesh team. The 30-year-old added that he didn’t want to resign from captaincy but he was left with no other choice.

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“What they have complained is my behaviour is not right. And I don't know they had, but then I was forced to resign. I was not okay with it. I had to resign. I had no other option. I sent an email also because I wanted to maintain the morale of the team. The actual reason was I didn't want to resign. We thought of winning the Ranji Trophy. But since that complaint, everything went wrong,” Vihari added.