Varun Aaron says, he has to change his action to protect himself from getting injured

Aug 17, 2014

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Varun Aaron, the Jharkhand and India speedstar who has impressed in England said that he had to change his action to protect himself from injury. He also said that in MRF pace foundation, in the guidance of Dennis Lillee of he developed his out swing.

In an interview to BCCI.TV Aaron said, “I had to make changes in my action because there was a reason I was getting injured. I have changed my load a little. Earlier, my backfoot used to be really straight, pointing the first slip, which put added stress on the back. I had to open up my hips a bit and for that had to ensure my backfoot faced fine leg. So now my hips and shoulders are much more aligned and it puts less stress on the back.”

Talking about MRF pace foundation the Indian speedstar said, “Swing is something that everybody possesses naturally. At the MRF foundation Dennis was a very strong believer in out-swing. That’s where I got my away swinging ball. We did a lot of target bowling and stuff like that. It has always been a continuous wholesome process.”

Aaron was asked about his mentor, who triggered the love of fast bowling. In reply he said that he heard stories from his father about his playing days, who played club cricket in Bangalore. That inspired Aaron to become a fast bowler. He also watched  lots of the old matches involving the West Indies. He loves watching Andy Roberts bowl. Even now Andy Roberts is his all-time favourite fast bowler.

Talking about his injuries Aaron said, “When I had my first stress fracture at age 18, I was in an India Under-19 camp where Dav Whatmore, Paul Chaplin and Paul Close were thrilled to see there was somebody in India who could bowl so fast, was so strongly built and who worked hard. So, they told me I didn’t need to talk to anybody and that they will take care of my rehab. I didn’t have to ask my state association for anything; NCA just took care of it.”

He further added, “I came back really strong and bowled quicker than ever, but had a relapse the next year. Dav and Chappie were still at the NCA and it was a challenge for them because they never thought it would happen again on the same vertebra. After the second rehab my back was good for two years during which I played for India. I started out well and was going to go to Australia but it didn’t happen because of another stress fracture.”

“The worst point was when I was coming back from the fourth stress fracture and during rehab I had another one. That was really hard to take. It was the lowest point for me and I started to wonder where I was going. That’s when the board (BCCI) stepped in and backed me to the hilt. They sent me to England for an operation and that surgery has done a world of good to my back. I am still going,” he signed off.