Varun Aaron vows to never compromise on pace

Varun Aaron celebrates the wicket of Gary Ballance on day 1 of the 4th Test against England at Old Trafford

Indian pacer Varun Aaron has assured fans that he will never look to lower his pace to keep him away from injuries. The injury-prone Jharkhand speedster added to his two wickets on day 1 when he consumed Moeen Ali with a beauty. An Aaron inswinger breached the batsman’s defence and disturbed the timber on day 2 of the ongoing fourth Test against England.

Despite being successful, MS Dhoni used Aaron in short bursts which was something concerned with the management’s intention of keeping him fresh, the bowler himself informed after the close of the second day’s play.

"There is a clear message (from the team management); I have got to bowl quick and yes shorter spells are better and helpful in that case.

"I have had five stress fractures, but I don't hold myself back from bowling quick," the 24-year-old said.

Long-awaited comeback

The right-arm quick first came into limelight with a reputation of bowling fast but is known to be a bit inconsistent in line and length. The bowler making his comeback after his Test debut in 2011, replaced struggling Mohammed Shami in a line-up that was desperate for some wickets.

The seamer responded to the situation by delivering two crucial breakthroughs by dismissing Alastair Cook and Gary Ballance in the last session on day 1.

He then followed it up by removing the left-handed Ali, with a full ball that surprised the Englishman who was rocked by Aaron’s short-pitch bowling earlier in the spell.

"When I was operated on one and a half years ago here, my target was to be here on this tour. I had a good support system, the BCCI backed me and I worked at the NCA and at the MRF. I am glad to be here and I had a good match so far. I am feeling good with my bowling too," said Aaron on his comeback.

Moeen Ali’s dismissal

Speaking about the Moeen Ali dismissal, he said: "I had just bowled a bouncer to him and I followed it up with an inswinger.”

"The wicket has changed from what we saw in that first hour. I am happy that I got wickets when we needed them, but there is still a long way to go in the match. England are ahead obviously but they are not too much ahead and even a 100 run-lead is manageable," mentioned a hopeful Aaron who will be looking to close out the England innings as early as possible on day 3.

Only 9 overs were delivered in the post-lunch session when rain interrupted allowing no further play. The hosts are ahead by 85 runs with 4 wickets in hand.