Been happening for last 3-4 years: Robin Bist on Vihari controversy

Hanuma Vihari decided to quit playing cricket for Andhra after following a run-in with a teammate. The discarded India batter said that he shouted at one of the players of his team during Andhra Pradesh's Ranji Trophy 2024 encounter with Bengal and that player complained to his father, who is a politician.

Vihari stated that the politician asked the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) to take action against him. The cricket board went on to remove Vihari from his position as captain.

Since his unceremonious sacking, Vihari has received support from the cricket fraternity. Fellow cricketer and friend, Robin Bist recently came out to the aid of the right-handed batter during an interview.

"These kind of things have been happening with Hanuma for last 3-4 years. He's one of the most honest cricketers...why is he being targeted?": Cricketer & Hanuma's friend Robin Bist told Mirrow Now in an interview.

ACA responds to Hanuma Vihari's allegations

ACA posted a statement where they brought out several accusations against Vihari and mentioned previous instances of the batter's inappropriate behaviour. This was in response to the allegations laid out by the 30-year-old against the cricket governing body.

Assuring that the ACA treats all players equally, the cricket board said that the player who was verbally abused by Vihari had filed an official complaint against the star batter following the incident.

"ACA upholds equal treatment for all players, without favoring individuals based on seniority or perceived importance. Addressing the reported issue, 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 ACA," the statement read.

ACA claimed that in January 2024, it was conveyed to Vihari that because he was an India prospect and his season-long availability was in doubt, they were looking at a new captain. ACA stated that Vihari was happy with this decision. The board also said that during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Andhra team manager lodged complaints about internal groupism.

"Previously, during the Mushtaq Ali tournament, the Andhra team manager lodged complaints about internal groupism," ACA wrote in its statement.

ACA also mentioned that Vihari had asked for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) on several occasions to go and play for other states after receiving offers. However, he would subsequently back out and apologise for expressing his frustration.

"ACA will conduct a thorough inquiry into all the complaints and the due course of action will be communicated in the near future," the statement concluded.