Hanuma Vihari leaves AP, joins Tripura for 2025-26 season

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) Hanuma Vihari, remembered more for his gritty outing against Australia at SCG in 2021 than for his series-topping 289 runs against West Indies in 2019, has decided to leave Andhra Pradesh and play for Tripura in the 2025-26 domestic season.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Vihari has signed for Tripura as one of their three professionals for this season. He has joined the team on a one-year contract, which can be extended with mutual consent.

Vihari said the move stemmed from a desire to play all three formats of the game, something which was unlikely to happen at Andhra after a public spat with the state's cricket association following the 2023-24 Ranji campaign.

"I was keen on other opportunities since I believe I'm good enough to play all three formats," Vihari, 31, told ESPNcricinfo.

"Andhra made it clear they were looking at youngsters for the T20 format. That was why I decided it didn't make sense playing even the 50-over format, so I sat out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. I also wanted to play in a new environment." Vihari, who had last played a Test for India in 2022, had accused the state association of favouritism after the 2023-24 season and tried several times to move out.

"For the last two seasons, I'd been talking of going out (he'd been in talks with Madhya Pradesh), but I stayed back," Vihari said.

"I felt given the circumstances around me, and also where my own cricket is at, this was the best time to sign with an upcoming team. This year they approached me first, and I felt it'll be a challenge worth taking up," he added.

Vihari, who started his Test career with a half-century on debut against England at the Oval in 2018, bailed India out with his 23-run unbeaten knock in the company of the now-retired R Ashwin in 2021 after the team stuttered to 272 for five after being set a mammoth target of 407.

India managed to draw the match at Sydney before going on to seal a memorable series win with victory at Brisbane in the following Test.

Vihari is now looking to contribute handsomely with the bat and help his upcoming domestic side improve and challenge the stronger teams. He, has, however, not been guaranteed captaincy.

"As a senior player, I'll contribute whatever the team expects of me, from a leadership standpoint whether I'm captain or not," he said.

"They've got some decent players. I wanted to play in a team where I can build (the squad), and be part of a setup that is hungry to challenge the bigger teams," he said.

In 16 Tests, Vihari has scored 839 runs at an average of 33.56 with 111 being his best effort. In first-class cricket, he has amassed over 9500 runs in 131 matches at 49.92 with a highest score of 302 and 24 hundreds. PTI AH AM AH AM AM