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Top-order batting all-rounder Hanuma Vihari will start a new innings in his Ranji Trophy career this year. According to a report by Sportstar, the Indian batter has made up his mind to leave Andhra and join the Madhya Pradesh domestic team. He has reportedly requested for an NOC from the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) regarding the same.
Hanuma Vihari made his domestic cricket debut in 2010 for Hyderabad. He played multiple seasons for Hyderabad before switching to Andhra in 2016/17. The right-handed batter returned to Hyderabad in 2020/21 only to come back to Andhra in 2021/22.
Now, in the 2023/24 season, he will don the Madhya Pradesh jersey for the first time in his career. Hanuma Vihari was in good form during the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy. He scored 490 runs in 14 innings as the captain of Andhra. His team qualified for the quarterfinals, where they lost to Madhya Pradesh.
Now, Vihari will join the Madhya Pradesh squad. In this listicle, we will look at the three reasons why moving from Andhra to MP is the right move for the Indian batter.
#1 Hanuma Vihari will bring a lot of experience to the Madhya Pradesh top-order
Madhya Pradesh played against Rest of India in the Irani Cup earlier this year. Their main batter Rajat Patidar was not available, and in his absence, the MP team suffered a 238-run defeat at the hands of Rest of India.
Arham Aquil, 20, made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in that game and returned with two ducks in two innings while opening the batting. Hanuma Vihari can take one of the spots in the MP top-order and provide a lot more stability to the team.
Vihari has played domestic cricket for 13 years. Plus, he has also represented India in 16 Test matches across different parts of the world.
#2 Reliable option for MP if Rajat Patidar is unavailable
Rajat Patidar was the top performer for MP in the previous Ranji Trophy with 565 runs in just seven matches. The right-handed batter recorded one century and six half-centuries in the previous season.
Since Patidar has performed well in domestic cricket and the IPL, he received his maiden national call-up to the Indian team in 2022 and should make his debut soon. If Patidar stays away from the MP squad due to national duty, an experienced campaigner like Hanuma Vihari can make up for his absence.
#3 Captaincy candidate for MP
Captaincy is an important thing in cricket. Madhya Pradesh were without the services of their captain Adithya Shrivastava for the Irani Cup match against Rest of India. Wicket-keeper Himanshu Mantri led the Madhya Pradesh squad, but they ended up losing by a big margin.
Hanuma Vihari has captained Andhra in the past. He has a good amount of leadership experience under his belt, which is why the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) selection committee can consider him as a captaincy candidate. He can be the deputy to Adithya Shrivastava and help him in the captaincy department.
