Ricky Bhui Steps in as Andhra Pradesh Captain, Replacing Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari, the captain of Andhra Pradesh, has decided to step down from his leadership role for the remainder of the Ranji Trophy season. Ricky Bhui, who has previously captained the team, will now take charge after Vihari led Andhra to a draw against Bengal in the opening round of the season. Despite relinquishing the captaincy, Vihari will continue to be a part of the playing XI as Andhra faces Mumbai in their Group B clash at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC, Mumbai.

In the previous match against Bengal, Bhui showcased his batting prowess by scoring 175 runs, marking his 15th first-class century. Meanwhile, Vihari contributed 51 runs in Andhra’s only innings.

Vihari’s last appearance for India was against England in Birmingham in 2022. During the previous Ranji season, he led Andhra to the knockout stage, where they were defeated by Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-finals. Notably, Vihari played a significant part in that match, batting left-handed for most of the first innings and throughout the second innings after sustaining a left forearm fracture from an Avesh Khan bouncer. He amassed 490 runs in the last season across 14 innings, maintaining an average of 35 with two half-centuries.

Before the start of the current season, Vihari contemplated a move to Madhya Pradesh to work with renowned domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit in hopes of revitalizing his Test career. Although Andhra managed to retain him at the last minute, Vihari’s performance in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy was below expectations. Additionally, he remained unsold at the IPL 2024 auction last month.

Meanwhile, Ricky Bhui, aged 27, has previous experience leading Andhra, having captained them 22 times across formats, including five occasions in the Ranji Trophy. His last stint as captain was in March 2022 against Uttarakhand.

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