MUMBAI, Jan 12: India player Hanuma Vihari will not be leading Andhra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy after having stepped down from captaincy to focus on his batting.
On Friday, during Andhra’s Group B match against Mumbai, senior batter Ricky Bhui was leading the side.
According to media reports, Vihari’s decision was personal and he wanted to focus on his batting.
Vihari managed 51 runs in the season’s opening Ranji game against Bengal, which ended in a draw with Andhra bagging three points for taking the first-innings lead.
Interestingly, he was mulling a move to Madhya Pradesh before the start of the season, as he was eager to play under domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit to revive his international career.
Vihari has represented India in 16 Tests so far, scoring 839 runs at an average of 33.56, including a ton and five half-centuries, with a top score of 111 against the West Indies in Kingston in 2019.
Having made his Test debut at The Oval in 2018, his last outing also happened to be in England, in Birmingham 2022.
As far as Bhui is concerned, he had scored 175, his 15th first-class hundred, in the match against Bengal.
Appearing in his 11th season with Andhra, Bhui’s marathon knock helped his team get a 36-run lead over Bengal and begin the tournament on a positive note. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
