Former Australian legend Glenn McGrath was pleased with how MRF Pace Foundation trainees Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain performed in the recently concluded IPL.

“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 your 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. So to have the three boys consistently playing well in Sunrisers, I was very proud of them,” said McGrath, who heads the Foundation.

“I think Praful has had some injuries as well. But good to see him back and playing, and that’s what you want. You want them to have game time and then have a bit of success,” he added.

The 56-year-old also hailed 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s heroics in the IPL but wanted to see how he might fare in the overseas conditions.

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“He was incredible. To be the leading run scorer in the IPL with 70-odd (72) 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, and 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. If it’s there, he just hits through it. And in India, you can pick the line up and hit through it.

If he does go and play in England or Australia, I’d be keen to see how he goes there,” said McGrath.

Published on Jun 08, 2026