It’s a visceral feeling when a genuine fast bowler thunders in and generates pace on a placid pitch. The ball flies off the surface, the batsman is made to hurry his stroke, and the contest makes compelling viewing.
Like when Varun Aaron, on a track offering him little, sent down a delivery of speed, bounce, and a mean off-stump line to find the edge of N. Jagadeesan’s bat in the Jharkhand-Tamil Nadu Vijay Hazare game at the SSN ground here last month.
It was a pace predator’s scalp — for the velocity, heart and effort.
Jharkhand has been the outstanding team in Elite Group ‘C’ of the premier domestic one-day competition and the 28-year-old Aaron, its sword arm in pace.
READ| Varun Aaron signs for Leicestershire
“Yes, it has been good and I am delighted to be bowling again with my old mate Rahul Shukla. We not just want to qualify but aim to win the competition,” he told Sportstar on Monday.
Aaron is pleased that he is in Chennai, where he learnt much of his craft at the MRF Pace Foundation. “The Jharkhand team trained at MRF for week before the tournament. And on days I don’t have a match, I go there to train. MRF is my second home,” he said.
Having been scarred by injuries in the past, including the serious ones of the back, Aaron is free of fitness concerns these days.
The last of his nine Tests for India came in 2015 but Aaron, despite the depth and quality of the present Indian pace pack, is confident of a comeback.
He said confidently, “I bring 150 kmph to the table. I have more variety now.”
He was unlucky to be dropped after the Brisbane Test of the last India tour of Australia in 2014-15. He had made batsmen smell leather at the Gabba, pushed them back, saw catches dropped.
In fact, Shane Warne and Mark Taylor expressed surprise when Aaron was omitted for the Melbourne Test.
This season, Aaron spent an eventful time with Leicestershire in the English county circuit . “The experience matured me as a bowler. You travel so much, play in different cities, have to adapt.”
He is picking up new things. “I bowl the leg-cutter and the slower one better now. Previously, I largely used to swing the ball away, now I bring it in too.”
And Aaron continues to pursue his India ambitions. “I wouldn’t be playing cricket if I had given up hopes of playing for India.”
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