“I’m good enough to play all three formats” - Hanuma Vihari joins Tripura

Team India batter Hanuma Vihari has announced that he has signed with Tripura for the upcoming 2025-26 domestic season. Vihari recently had a great Andhra Premier League, where he was named the Player of the Tournament. Now, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has granted him the no-objection certificate (NOC) to be eligible to play for Tripura.

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While speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Vihari said that he was keen on opportunities because he still believes he is more than capable of playing all three formats.

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

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the batter was in talks with Madhya Pradesh for a move, but eventually, it did not happen. 

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Regarding that, Vihari said: "For the last two seasons, I'd been talking of going out [he'd been in talks with Madhya Pradesh], but I stayed back. I felt given the circumstances around me, and also where my own cricket is at, this was the best time to sign with an upcoming team. This year they approached me first, and I felt it'll be a challenge worth taking up."

Vihari also confirmed that he has not been given any guarantee of a leadership role, but he would personally love to be an integral part of the team’s leadership group to contribute.

"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 setup that is hungry to challenge the bigger teams."

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He concluded by stating that he is not thinking about making a comeback in the international setup as of now, as his primary aim is to enjoy cricket and score plenty of runs.

"My challenge is to take the team through. After 14-15 years of first-class cricket, I've certainly got that experience that I want to pass on. But I'm not thinking of a comeback just yet. It's too far away. I want to score runs, important runs and then take the team through. More than anything, I just want to enjoy my cricket and score lots of runs," Vihari concluded.

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