It is claimed that veteran batsman Hanuma Vihari has opted to change bases ahead of the 2019 domestic season, and has even requested a No-Objection Certificate (NCO) from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA). Vihari has scored 9585 runs in his First-Class career and has voiced a desire to swap teams.
Hanuma Vihari acknowledged that the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) has recently held conversations with him.
Tripura will compete in the Elite Division in both red and white ball versions. Tapan Lodh, former president of the TCA and current member of the association, stated that Vihari was one of the few individuals on their radar for acquisition.
“I have been thinking about a switch. Tripura has been asking me for some time,” stated Vihari, as quoted by.
“We have recommended to the association a few names to sign as professionals. I cannot disclose the names but I know we are signing Vihari,” Lodh noted.
Vihari has a domestic career spanning 131 First-Class matches and 97 List-A fixtures, respectively. He has played 44 matches for Andhra (3013 runs at an average of 44.97 with four centuries and 20 fifties). The 31-year-old moved to Andhra in the 2016/17 season. He then returned to Hyderabad, only to return to Andhra for the previous couple of seasons.
The Kakinada-born, who has represented India in 16 Tests so far, was controversially removed from the captaincy of Andhra, leading to a few political developments. He has played several brilliant and match-defining knocks for Andhra. His most-renowned one was when he came out to bat with a fractured left wrist in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy quarterfinal clash against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
Speaking about Tripura, they have been slotted in the Elite Group C of the upcoming season of India’s premier red-ball competition. They will be taking on the likes of Services, Haryana, Bengal, Assam, Railways, Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
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