Veteran Indian Batter Set to Switch Teams Following Cheteshwar Pujara's Retirement

The Indian domestic cricket is set to begin soon, and players are getting ready for the next season. Ahead of the domestic season, veteran cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, one of India’s best Test batsmen, announced his retirement from professional cricket. Pujara was the backbone of the middle order for Team India. He represented India in 103 Test matches and scored over 7,195 runs, which includes 19 hundreds.

As the new domestic season is set to kick off soon, Hanuma Vihari, who is playing for the Andhra Pradesh, wants to move ahead and join a new team. The reports suggest that Vihari might move from Andhra Pradesh to Tripura in order to revive his international career. Despite not representing India for a long time, he remains optimistic about an international comeback.

Why will Hanuma Vihari Switch Teams Again?

Vihari, a seasoned right-hander, has applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Andhra Cricket Association in order to change teams. “I have been thinking about a switch. Tripura has been asking me for some time,” stated Vihari, who has represented Andhra since the beginning of his domestic career.

A member from the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) also confirmed that Vihari is the player they wants to sign. He will compete for Tripura in the Ranji Trophy in 2025–2026 if the deal is approved. Tripura will compete in the Elite division, both in red-ball and white-ball cricket.

Hanuma Vihari Andhra Pradesh career has been historic. He has amassed 3,013 runs at an average of 44.97, including 20 half-centuries and four hundreds. The most well-known instance of his bravery occurred during the 2022–2023 Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, when he batted despite having a fractured wrist in order to save his team.

Will Hanuma Vihari Team Switch Revive His Career?

Vihari has changed teams during his domestic career before as well, alternating between Hyderabad and Andhra before relocating to Andhra. With Tripura, who are in Elite Group C of the Ranji Trophy along with Bengal, Haryana, and Gujarat, he will face a new task. His background will significantly improve Tripura's leadership depth and batting line-up if he signs.

The turning point of Hanuma Vihari team switch came in February 2024, where he announced the decision to leave Andhra, stating he had lost respect due to political interference. Later, he was removed from the captain's position as well. However, he came back into the side after resolving all the issues and played for Andhra again.

Hanuma Vihari's Memorable Moments for Team India

Hanuma Vihari made his Test debut for India during the England tour in 2018. Later during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, Vihari played a knock to remember at Sydney as India managed to pull off the draw. Vihari scored 23 runs from 161 balls and batted with a hamstring injury, but he battled and helped India to draw the game.
The BGT 2020-212 series was a real test for the Indian team as Virat Kohli, one of the best batsmen in the world, left the team after the horror show of 36 all out. However, India managed to win the series by 2-1 and even breached the Gabba in the end.

During the same series, Hanuma Vihari and Cheteshwar Pujara were key players as both of them played crucial knocks and kept on getting runs, which troubled the Australian bowlers. Both of them stood like a wall and defied a world-class Australian bowlers in their conditions.

The new season brings Hanuma Vihari a new challenge and Tripura will need him to step up and show the way. Meanwhile, another veteran Indian batter, Ajinkya Rahane, also left the captaincy of Mumbai, stating the young player should get a chance to show their skills. This new season is likely to be an exciting one with several star players on show.