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The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has claimed that Hanuma Vihari's teammates were "under threat" to sign the letter protesting his removal from captaincy. The organization has also said that Vihari, soon after sending a mail asking for an NOC to leave the state team, had revoked it and apologized.
Vihari on Monday announced his decision to leave Andhra, saying he felt "embarrassed" after the ACA asked him to step down from the team's captaincy after he shouted at KN Prudhvi Raj, a squad player and a politician’s son. He shared various social media posts on the matter, including the letter.
Now, on Wednesday, the ACA shared a list of claims and letters with India Today, painting a completely different picture.
"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. 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," one point said.
"He (Vihari) asked the Andhra Cricket Association to continue on behalf of Andhra, apologising for being emotional and frustrated for not being selected in the Indian team, as he was not given the NOC," another added.
Ricky Bhui was made the captain of the team. However, he was also one of the signees of the letter shared by Vihari.
Hanuma Vihari caused class difference in the team; captaincy change was form-related: ACA
In further points, the ACA denied claims that KN Prudhvi Raj's selection was due to his political links. The organization added that it had received multiple complaints regarding Vihari's behavior and batting form, which led to the captaincy shift.
"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," ACA said.
"In January 2024, after the first Ranji Trophy match, ACA Senior Selection Committee Chairman, Vasireddy Chandramouli Prasad Chaudhary, sent an e-mail to the Andhra Cricket Association, proposing a new captain following complaints about Vihari's form," ACA added.
The organization added that it didn't have any role to play in the transition.
"In response to this, Vihari also sent a mail to Andhra Cricket Association saying that he will abide by the decision taken by the selection committee one hundred percent. Andhra Cricket Association did not interfere in this matter. The decision making authority is entirely taken by the selection committee," ACA stated.
Vihari has 9,325 runs from 124 first-class matches at an average of 51.80.
