Mumbai: When Praful Hinge started out as a fast bowler in his teens, Instagram was still new to India. Mindful not to surpass his capabilities, the speedster from Nagpur named his Insta handle ‘prafulhinge_140’. The number was for the bowling speed he desired to attain.
Today, when fit and firing, the 24-year-old can touch 145 kph. And it may be a good time to raise the bar. Perhaps, update his social media status too. Hinge will soon be turning out in India colours. He has been picked for the upcoming India A four-day action against Australia A in Puducherry.
“This is the day I had worked hard for - to play for India. I enjoy playing red-ball cricket particularly and want to represent India in Test cricket one day,” Hinge told HT.
With only 10-first class matches behind him, Hinge has been fast-tracked for India A cricket without the trial of Duleep Trophy or Irani Cup. The overlapping domestic and international calendar has contributed, but selectors also recognize his raw red-ball potential due to his ability to hit good lengths consistently.
It wouldn’t have been possible without his staggeringly brilliant night under the IPL arclight five months ago. In front of a packed home crowd in orange against Rajasthan Royals, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler achieved a first. He picked up three wickets in his first over of his first IPL outing. “I couldn’t believe what happened to me. Whatever happened, I enjoyed it a lot, my family members and coaches enjoyed it even more,” he recalled.
{{/usCountry}}It wouldn’t have been possible without his staggeringly brilliant night under the IPL arclight five months ago. In front of a packed home crowd in orange against Rajasthan Royals, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler achieved a first. He picked up three wickets in his first over of his first IPL outing. “I couldn’t believe what happened to me. Whatever happened, I enjoyed it a lot, my family members and coaches enjoyed it even more,” he recalled.
{{/usCountry}}Hinge became the showstopper, grabbing the spotlight from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi by dismissing him after executing the short-ball plan to perfection, the first of his three wickets in the over. But the fine margins of T20 cricket would catch up in his next faceoff against Sooryavanshi later in the tournament. Hinge missed the line of his bouncer and was dispatched beyond the ropes by the 15-year-old.
With T20 success being fickle, Hinge wants to retain his all-format efficiency. It’s one reason he relishes bowling with the red ball, even if it is more demanding of the body. If T20 calls for excellent defensive skills from bowlers, red-ball cricket frees them up from limitations.
“Every format presents different challenges,” said Hinge. ‘There is one thing with red-ball cricket…you have to be prepared to bowl long spells. That’s why, after playing the Vidarbha Premier League following IPL, I started preparing for red-ball cricket because I knew there could be an opportunity somewhere. I started bowling enough overs. Once the body is warmed up, it feels normal bowling more overs.”
Hitting the right areas and striving for high speeds is a fine balancing act for fast bowlers. In his dream over in IPL, the speed gun on the three dismissals hovered around 140 kph - 139.8 (Sooryavanshi), 140.8 (Dhruv Jurel) and 139.3 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius).
In his short career, Hinge has been able to work with some of the finest fast bowling minds. With his IPL captain Pat Cummins, Hinge took the freedom to ask plenty of questions. “I learned about preparations and recovery. I asked him about his seam position too,” he said.
As an up-and-coming U23 bowler, Hinge had worked with Glenn McGrath at the MRF pace foundation. The lessons were quintessential McGrath. “McGrath Sir told me to focus on bowling the right lines. To mostly stick with the stock ball. To try and draw the batter towards your plans,” he said.
Hinge’s go-to man for a number of years has been Varun Aaron. If not for the retired express pacer, and now Sunrisers Hyderabad coach, Hinge wouldn’t have been tracked down in IPL auction. Aaron has been working with Hinge from the MRF foundation days and has plenty to share, not just around skills, but also maintaining fast bowling fitness.
As for Hinge’s idol, he is closer home: 57-Test veteran from Nagpur, Umesh Yadav. “I always got inspired watching Umesh Yadav, the struggle he had to go through before playing for India,” he said. “Like Umesh Yadav, I want to make Vidarbha famous by playing for India.”