Australian legend Glenn McGrath was pleased with how MRF Pace Foundation trainees Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain performed for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recent IPL season.

“I was very impressed with all of them. Sakib played many games and took some good wickets. For Praful to start with three wickets in his first over, it doesn’t get much better than that, does it? And then you had Eshan Malinga, who came here from Sri Lanka and spent time. Watching the three boys consistently play well for Sunrisers, I was very proud of them,” said McGrath, who heads the Foundation.

“Praful has had some injuries as well. But it was good to see him come back and play, and that’s what you want. You want them to have game time and a bit of success.”

McGrath hailed 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impressive show for Rajasthan Royals but wanted to see how he fares in overseas conditions. “He was incredible…to be the leading run-scorer in the IPL with 70 (72) odd sixes. He’s got that back lift, a bit like Brian Lara, and is obviously a powerful hitter. He was unbelievable. It would only happen in India or the subcontinent. I couldn’t see a 15-year-old playing in Australia.

“They have no fear, do they? They just back themselves. If it’s there, they don’t care if it’s a guy bowling his first over or someone like Pat Cummins, who’s one of the best bowlers in the world. In India, you can pick the line up and hit through it. If he goes and plays in England or Australia, I’d be keen to see how he does there,” said the 56-year-old.

Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain’s respective four-fors on debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Rajasthan Royals on Monday (April 13, 2026) arrived as a panacea for its bowling deficiencies. From the feisty opening over where 24-year-old Praful scooped up three wickets to a resurgence towards the death where SRH snuffed Royals’ fightback, this bite with the ball is what the management was praying for and working towards.

“Given where they’ve come from, what both have done today is massive. My only plea to both of them was for them to enjoy the game. To see them come out and bowl this way was a dream come true for the team, 100%,” bowling coach Varun Aaron told reporters.