Today, Indian cricket team player Hanuma Vihari spoke to a media representative after meeting with Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh. He revealed that they discussed cricket during the meeting.
Vihari disclosed that he faced harassment in the past and was under immense pressure to resign from the captaincy. He felt that his self-respect was hurt, leading him to obtain a No Objection Certificate to play for other states.
During the controversy, Nara Lokesh, Chandrababu Naidu, and Pawan Kalyan supported him through tweets. Vihari mentioned that after the election results, Lokesh invited him to meet and reassured him about his future. Encouraged by Lokesh’s assurance, he decided to make a comeback and lead the Andhra cricket team forward.
“As a captain, I always think about the team. Over the past seven years, the Andhra team reached the quarter-finals of domestic cricket six times.
Sometimes, tough decisions need to be made for the team’s benefit. However, the decisions I made did not sit well with the government or the association.
Some people were unhappy because the player they preferred was not in the final 15-member squad. They wanted a captain who would listen to them.
Therefore, even after winning the first match, I was pressured to step down as captain. They threatened that I wouldn’t even have a place in the team if I didn’t resign, so I had no choice but to step down.
Since my career is important, I yielded to their pressure to continue playing as a player.
Out of respect for the game, I revealed everything only after the tournament ended,” Vihari explained.