Hanuma Vihari set to represent Tripura for 2025-26 domestic season

Hanuma Vihari (Pic: File Pic)

Hanuma Vihari, who used to represent Andhra Pradesh in domestic cricket, has now decided to play for Tripura in the 2025-26 domestic season.

He played a crucial role for Team India during the Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2021.

As of now, Vihari is one of Tripura's three professionals for this season. The right-hander has also joined the team on a one-year contract, which can be extended with mutual consent, according to ESPNcricinfo.

He said that the decision came with the aim of playing all three formats of the game, which was unlikely to happen in Andhra Pradesh's team after a public spat with the state's cricket association.

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

The 31-year-old had accused the state association of favouritism after the 2023-24 season. He said that he had been trying to move out of the team.

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

Ahead of the upcoming domestic season, Vihari is aiming to contribute with the willow and wants to build a team that can challenge bigger teams.

"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 set-up that is hungry to challenge the bigger teams," added the Kakinada-born cricketer.

So far, he has played 16 Test matches for India and has scored 839 runs, including a century and five half-centuries. His top score in the format has been 111 runs, and he has also taken five wickets for the side.

(With PTI Inputs)