‘Life hasn’t changed after dream IPL debut’: Praful Hinge reveals plans against Sooryavanshi

HYDERABAD: Praful Hinge, the 24-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer, became an overnight sensation after his performance against Rajasthan Royals. He set the tone with a wicket off his second ball — that of teen wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — and scalped two more in the over.

Despite the dream debut, he says life remains the same.

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“Yes, I planned to bowl a bouncer to dismiss Sooryavanshi. I played with him in the U-23 match once and got his wicket with a short ball. I tried it again and it worked. I didn’t know that I would take four wickets in my very first match. I came to know about the record (three wickets in first over) only after the match. However, I am not feeling my life has changed a lot after that. I am trying to stay away from social media and focus on training,” Hinge said.

He also credited the team management for believing in him. “I learnt a lot from training with senior players in the team. We keep talking to them and they teach us a lot. The support from our coach and captain was clear. T20 is a batters’ game. As a bowler, whatever we do, do it with heart and enjoy the moment. That is the only advice from coach and captain,” he added.

Hinge idolises Pat Cummins and was a total fanboy when he first met him at the SRH camp. “When I first met him, I told him how big a fan I was. He was very welcoming. I told him that I used to watch his bowling videos and train. He told me that he will work with him and help with bowling. That was very motivating,” he revealed. Hinge also said that he was motivated by his father Prakash — a former employee of the Maharashtra electricity department — and sister, a chartered accountant. “I wanted to do something that made my family happy. When I started I had no idea what domestic cricket was. I first played with a leather ball at the age of 13.

“Since then, playing for the country was my only dream. Once I got into a two-month summer camp, I began understanding the process. I played all the age groups and made my debut for the state team just last year,” he added.

He also credited Glenn McGrath and Varun Aaron for his progress. “When I was with the MRF Pace Foundation, McGrath helped me with my action. But Aaron helped me a lot too. As a fast bowler, he knows what it takes to be successful and he guided me.”

(Hinge spoke on JioStar Press Room after his IPL debut)