Vihari set to move to Madhya Pradesh

Hyderabad: After two stints with Andhra, India discard Gade Hanuma Vihari, in his quest to regain a slot in the Indian team, has decided to turn out for Madhya Pradesh in the 2023-24 domestic season. Madhya Pradesh, with Chandrakant Pandit as their coach, had won the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy defeating Mumbai in Bengaluru. The 29-year-old batter had last played for India in the fifth Test against England in Birmingham last year and had scored 20 and 11 as India crashed to a seven-wicket loss. Vihari, who has played 16 Tests and scored 839 runs with a century and five half-centuries, lost his India slot thereafter.“We are yet to take a decision on granting the NOC. It will be decided in a couple of days by the Apex Council,” ACA secretary SR Gopinath Reddy told TOI on Tuesday. Born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, Vihari had played most of his cricket in Hyderabad. He made his first-class debut in 2010 against Jharkhand and continued to play for Hyderabad till 2015-16. He was also one of the yongest captain to lead Hyderabad. Vihari shifted to Andhra in 2015-16 and the move paid rich dividends as he found favour with the BCCI’s senior selection committee, which was then helmed by former Andhra skipper MSK Prasad. Vihari made his India debut against England in 2018 and was part of the Indian set-up for the next few years. In the meantime, Vihari’s musical chair in domestic cricket continued as he returned to play for Hyderabad in the 2021-22 before going back to Andhra the next season. Incidentally, the right-hander last played competitive cricket for Andhra against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in January. Vihari had then batted left-handed after he fractured his left forearm to an Avesh Khan bouncer, a move which earned him plaudits for his grit and standing up for the team though they lost the match. In the 2022-23 Ranji season, Vihari scored 490 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35. Vihari will return to competitive cricket as captain of the South Zone team in the Duleep Trophy, beginning in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
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