Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Praful Hinge (PTI Image)
Hyderabad: Praful Hinge, the 24-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad player, became an overnight sensation after his performance against Rajasthan Royals. He set the tone with a wicket shot off his second ball – that of teenage prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi – and hit two more balls in the final over.Despite his dream debut, he says life remains the same.Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“Yes, I planned to bowl a bouncer to dismiss Sooryavanshi. I played him in an Under-23 match 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 first match. I didn’t know about the record (three wickets in the first over) until after the match. However, I don’t feel like my life has changed much after that.”
“I try to stay away from social media and focus on training,” Heng said.He also praised the team management for its belief in him. “I have learned a lot from training with the senior players in the team. We keep talking to them and they are teaching us a lot. The support from our coach and captain was evident. T20 is a batsmen’s game. As a bowler, whatever we do, we do it from the heart and enjoy the moment. This is the only advice from the coach and captain,” he added.
Hinge idolizes Pat Cummins and was quite impressed when he first met him at SRH camp. “When I first met him, I told him how much I admired him. He was very welcoming. I told him I had been watching bowling videos and practicing. He told me he would work with him and help with his bowling. That was very motivating,” he revealed. Heng also said that the motive behind this was his father Prakash – a former employee of the Maharashtra Electricity Department – and his sister, a chartered accountant.
“I wanted to do something that would make my family happy. When I started I had no idea about local cricket. I first played with a leather ball when I was 13 years old.“Since then, playing for the country has been my only dream. Once I entered a summer camp for two months, I started to understand the process. I have played for all age groups and made my debut for the state team only last year,” he added.He also credited Glenn McGrath and Varun Aaron for his progress. “When I was with MRF Pace, McGrath helped me with my work. But Aaron helped me a lot too. As a fast bowler, he knows what it takes to be successful and has mentored me.”(Khini spoke at the JioStar Press Room after making his IPL debut)
