The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has issued a show cause notice to ex-Andhra Pradesh captain Hanuma Vihari after he accused the board of political interference in cricketing matters. This notice serves as disciplinary action against individuals associated with the organisation who make allegations or attempt to tarnish its reputation.
Following Andhra Pradesh’s defeat by Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy semi-final, Vihari publicly declared that he would no longer represent Andhra Pradesh. He attributed this decision to extensive political interference in cricketing affairs. Vihari made these allegations in an Instagram post and also mentioned being compelled to resign as team captain. Vihar has not yet responded to the notice served to him by the board.
“This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month,” said an ACA official. “Yes, we have served him a show-cause notice and we are awaiting his reply. This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances.”
“After all, we value Vihari and his contributions to the growth of state cricket as he has played a big part in Andhra going up in the ranks in domestic cricket,” an ACA official said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
The prominent problem of ACA is overshadowed by political influence
The problem arose from a reported confrontation between Vihari and the 17th player of the Andhra Pradesh team, KN Prudhuvi Raj, who happens to be the son of a prominent politician from Andhra Pradesh. Speculations suggest that Raj influenced his father to take action against Vihari, leading to ACA’s decision to remove him as captain. However, Raj refuted these allegations in a social media post.
“Personal attacks and vulgar language are not acceptable in any kind of human platform. Everyone in the team knows what happened that day,” Raj wrote on his Instagram handle.
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