Hanuma Vihari steps down as Andhra captain; Ricky Bhui takes over

Hanuma Vihari has stepped down as Andhra captain, paving way for Ricky Bhui to take over. Bhui takes charge of the team against Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24 second round. Vihari led Andhra in the first game of the season against Bengal in Visakhapatnam, which ended in a draw. Despite giving up captaincy, Vihari is part of the XI against Mumbai, played at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai.

Bhui has led Andhra in 22 games across formats, including five Ranji Trophy games, last leading the side in March 2022.

In the drawn game against Bengal, Bhui scored an impressive 175 - his 15th first-class ton, while Vihari managed 51 in his only innings in the match. Vihari, who last played for India in the Edgbaston Test in 2022, looked to move to Madhya Pradesh to play under Chandrakant Pandit to reignite his career, but Andhra convinced him otherwise.

He led Andhra last season in the Ranji Trophy where his side were eliminated by Madhya Pradesh, where he batted left-handed for majority of the first innings after an Avesh Khan bouncer had fractured his left forearm. He scored 490 runs at 35, managing just a couple of fifties. 

He led South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, scoring 63 and 42 in the final as his side went down to West Zone in Bengaluru. He also led Rest of India against Saurashtra in the Irani Cup, registering scores of 33 and 22 as his side this time clinched a 175-run in Rajkot. 

He also had an excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in which he scored over 200 runs at a strike-rate of 150, but failed to make an impact in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.