When Ambati Rayudu Accused An Ex-BCCI President Of Destroying His Career To Help Son

Cricket Politics in India

On Monday, February 26, Hanuma Vihari dropped a bombshell that stunned the Indian cricket community. The batsman for India disclosed that he was stripped of his captaincy of the Andhra Pradesh team due to interference from a politician whose son had filed a complaint against him, prompting the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association (ACA) to take action.

Major concerns regarding the Indian cricket system, including whether players are provided with the proper conditions to succeed and if picks and decision-making are fair and based on merit, have been raised by Vihari's situation.

Although Vihari's social media post has generated responses from people all around the country, the sad truth is that similar cases have occurred in India before. Former Indian cricket player Ambati Rayudu once disclosed that Shivlal Yadav, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), had attempted to damage Rayudu's career in order to support his son Arjun Yadav.

When Rayudu was a Hyderabad player, this incident happened. When Rayudu moved to Andhra Pradesh when the two teams faced off in the 2005–06 season, there was an altercation between Rayudu and Arjun on the pitch.

"I became involved in politics in the Hyderabad Cricket Association during my early years. The goal of harassing Arjun Yadav, the son of Shivlal Yadav, was to get him to join Team India. They attempted to eliminate me because I was performing better than Arjun Yadav. I'm still only seventeen years old. Arjun Yadav desired to get called up to the Indian team shortly. He did not play for India because of him. How can we address this? Cancer began in my early years at HCA. It is currently in the fourth phase. Only if BCCI steps in will things get different. In an interview last year, Rayudu stated on TV9 News Telugu, "If not, nobody can fix HCA."

"I had fantastic play for India-A from 2003 to 2004. I was not given the opportunity, though, as in 2004 the selection committee was reorganized and close associates of Shivalal Yadav were added to the panel. Inquiring as to why I wasn't chosen was also incorrect. They kept me from speaking to anyone for four years. Shivlal Yadav's younger brother used to get drunk the day before the match and curse at banda bootuli in front of the home. They made mental attempts to harm me," Rayudu continued.

Shival, the former head of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), represented India in 35 Test matches and seven One-Day Internationals. In 2014, he was named BCCI President, although temporarily.

Arjun finished his career having participated in 69 List A games and 83 first-class matches, however he never represented India. He played for a while in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Deccan Chargers.