Hanuma Vihari controversy: ACA claims players were threatened to sign letter of support

The controversy surrounding Hanuma Vihari took another turn on Wednesday (Feb 28) after the Andhra Cricket Association's (ACA) latest claim. Vihari, who captained the state side in the Ranji Trophy, has been at the centre of controversy after claiming he had to leave the side due to political pressure. However, after Tuesday’s statement on an official complaint being filed, the ACA has now claimed that Vihari threatened players to sign a letter of support.

ACA makes another big claim

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On Monday, Vihari through his social media handle released a letter with the signatures of several players who supported his behaviour during a Ranji Trophy match against Bengal. Vihari revealed that he was asked to step down fromcaptaincy after a complaint was launched against him. The said complaint came after the 17th man in the Andhra Ranji team approached his father, a politician, as he was not happy with the behaviour of Vihari.

"Addressing the reported issue, it has come to our attention that Mr Vihari personally verbally abused a specific player during the Bengal Ranji game in front of everyone. The affected player filed an official complaint with ACA," Andhra Cricket Association said in their statement on Tuesday.

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The ACA on Wednesday claimed that players were put under threat by Vihari to sign the letter while they were still in the Ranji camp. According to ACA, Vihari has a good influencein the team camp and used it against the association.

The matter only got the limelight after Vihari’s Andhra side lost to Madhya Pradesh in a narrow contest at the Holkar Stadium. The 16-time capped Indian batter then stepped down and blamed the political pressure created by the board, according to an exclusive report fromIndia Today.

According to ACA, the players signed the letter of support while in Indore where the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal between Andhra and Madhya Pradesh took place.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to comment on the matter and is tight-lipped so far. However, the board could intervene in the matter if needed any time in the future.