Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
On Tuesday, a post from Hanuma Vihari, the half-forgotten man of Indian cricket, popped up on social media. The Andhra batsman spoke about his relocation, that he would be plying his trade for Tripura in this domestic season. “After thoughtful consideration, I have made the decision to move to the Tripura Cricket Association, where I’ll be representing the state in all three formats of the game,” read the post.
At 31 years of age, Vihari is not old. Far from it. But international cricket seems to have passed him by. He should have had a longer career at the highest level, and maybe, Indian cricket treated him a bit unfairly, as words like “intent” and “strike-rate” became fashionable. But why is he leaving his home state for a cricketing backwater?
“I think at this stage of my career, I needed a new challenge, playing as a professional somewhere outside,” Vihari said, speaking to RevSportz. It sounded a bit cliched, a run-of-the-mill quote. The middle-order batsman apparently has found himself at the receiving end of Andhra cricket’s transition and he eventually said that.
“In Andhra cricket, some good youngsters are coming up, I thought it’s the right time for them to take over,” he said. “Already, in the white-ball format last year, they (state association) asked me not to play the T20s, as they wanted to test some youngsters. So, I felt I needed to step outside and challenge myself, and also make sure the team progresses through my contributions.”
Tell him that going to Tripura is effectively opting for a cricketing retirement home, and Vihari would come up with counter-logic.
“I know Tripura is not a big state in terms of cricket, but it’s a challenge for me to take Tripura cricket forward,” he explained. “It’s a great challenge, exciting challenge for me.
When I moved to Andhra, Andhra, also, was not a state which was a reckoning state in terms of cricket. But I made sure, and the administration also supported me initially, that we came together and took Andhra cricket forward. And now it’s in a place where we have been reaching knockout stages frequently in recent years. So, I’m sure with Tripura also, I can make a difference. And it’s more exciting when you go to a state like Tripura, rather than a bigger state which is already established.”
Last year, Vihari had a fallout with the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), with the state body even serving him a show-cause notice. The player wanted to move out but eventually there was a thaw. Has it impacted Vihari’s decision to leave this term?
“This decision has got nothing to do politically,” said Vihari, choosing to keep controversy at arm’s length. “It has everything to do with my career and how I want to take my career forward,”
He played 16 Tests and scored 839 runs at a pretty decent average of 33.56. He was grit personified in Australia in 2018-19, resplendent in his resolve in Perth and Sydney. Two years later, his 23 not out in the second innings at the SCG helped India save the Test. That old-fashioned grafting, however, became passé in the context of Indian cricket. Does he have any regrets?
“I don’t have any regrets,” Vihari asserted. “I have always said this. I take it as a privilege, whatever Test matches I have played. Whether it is right or wrong, whatever has happened with me, I don’t want to dig too much into the past.”
Vihari’s time with Tripura will start with the KSCA tournament from September 4.
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