Varun Aaron took four wickets against Cricket Australia XI in the second practice match in Adelaide. His pace and aggression was on full display as he struck repeatedly and did not allow the batsmen to settle. Shiamak Unwalla feels his recent form is an encouraging sign for India ahead of a hectic tour against Australia.
When Varun Aaron first became a known quantity, it was because he bowled quick. He was not particularly accurate, and didn’t really get the ball to do a lot, but he consistently hit speeds in excess of 145 kmph. In his earlier days, Aaron was perhaps guilty of bowling quick, but without direction or plans. As a result, he would occasionally beat the bat, but by and large be unthreatening.
He was out of the Indian side for a long time, but found some rhythm during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was Virat Kohli‘s go-to man whenever he wanted a breakthrough, and delivered more often than not. Aaron was then selected for India’s squad for the tour of England which followed thereafter.
He sat out of the first few games, and was not a part of India’s sensational win at Lord’s. He finally got to play in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, where he immediately made an impact. Though India were humiliated in that match, Aaron was one of the few bright spots. He got rid of Alastair Cook with a short ball that was miscued to the deep; he then beat Gary Ballance for pace, rapping the in-form batsman on the pads to get him out LBW; but his best was reserved for Moeen Ali: It was fast, straight, and swung in sharply to upset the stumps.
In the next match, India suffered a similar fate and again Aaron was one of the few good performers for India in the match. He dismissed both openers in the one innings England batted, and beat them both for pace.
Aaron has continued to impress since then. In the first practice match against Cricket Australia XI held in the third week of November, he took two wickets in three balls and three wickets overall. He continued to bowl impressively in this match, and seems assured to feature in the first Test against Australia at Adelaide.
One feels that if he can continue bowling quick and to a plan, he could form a potent part of India’s bowling attack even during the ICC World Cup 2015. India have rarely boasted of a genuine pace bowler, and Aaron seems to have answered that call.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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