Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin praised Sunrisers Hyderabad’s rookie pacer Praful Hinge after the Orange Army registered a comprehensive 57-run win against Rajasthan Royals at Hyderabad on Monday. 

Ashwin said Hinge reminded him of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who made an impressive debut against Pakistan. Hinge returned with impressive figures of 4-34 in his quota of four overs as he wreaked havoc against the inaugural champions. 

Thus, the 24-year-old was awarded Player of the Match for his impressive spell against RR. Hinge’s new ball exploit left RR reeling at 9-5 in the run chase of 217.

Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “He reminded me of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He debuted vs Pakistan in 2012 and bowled a couple of balls like these. But taking three wickets in an over is not that easy. It was also in God’s hands.”

The former Indian all-rounder said the youngster should have been part of SRH’s playing XI from the initial phase of the tournament.

“A boy has bowled so well with the red ball for Vidarbha, but his name is not coming up in the Google search. There is something wrong in the world if that happens. He has bowled so well in First-Class cricket. I have previously said that Praful Hinge should have played from the first match,” he added.

On the other hand, Ashwin also praised Sakib Hussain, who returned with impressive figures of 4-24 in his quota of four overs. 

“Sakib Hussain was with the KKR squad for two or three years. He used to play tennis ball cricket. Someone watched his video of tennis ball cricket and scouted him from there.

“He did not get a chance in KKR, but SRH have the same kind of bowlers, and they need a fast bowler who can swing the ball in the powerplay,” he commented in the same video.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will next take on Chennai Super Kings at Hyderabad on Saturday.