Sharjah: Indian fast bowlers have a history of cutting down on pace to focus on line and length but Varun Aaron, despite coming off five stress fractures, says he will never compromise when it comes to speed.
Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 24-year-old Aaron picked up a wicket with his first ball in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League on Thursday and finished with economical figures of 3/9 in three overs against Delhi Daredevils.
"I have had five stress fractures and still haven't cut down on pace and I don't think I ever will," Aaron said after his side's opening IPL match. Aaron, though, knows that he cannot get carried away with pace alone.
"If you are playing at the highest level, you have to have everything in your armoury. Bowling fast alone will not help you. You have to bowl in the right areas to be a good bowler. "Bowling fast comes naturally to me and I don't really think about the pace aspect too much. If you can bowl fast, it is always an added advantage and a bonus," said the bowler who burst into limelight after clocking 153 kmph in a Ranji Trophy game back in the 2010-11 season.
On Thursday, at a packed stadium in Sharjah, Aaron bowled with a lot of fire and made the going tough for the Daredevils batsmen.
"I couldn't have asked for a better start to the IPL. Getting a wicket first ball was a great feeling," Aaron told IPL's official website. "It is great to start on a winning note and to win so convincingly is a really good feeling. I am sure it would have done a world of good for everyone’s confidence." Aaron was part of the Indian World T20 squad, in Bangladesh.
He got a couple of warm-up games, but had to sit out for the rest of the tournament. "I was really looking forward to this first game in the IPL. I sat out for the entire World T20, and it was not easy. I was very eager to get out in the middle and bowl well. I am glad it came out well today. My intention was to bowl well and help our team to a victory."
The pacer made full use of the wicket that had a lot for the fast bowlers. "It was a nice batting track and had a nice carry, which I like. Having said that, I am not going to get fast bowling friendly tracks in these T20 games, but it is encouraging to see a wicket with a lot of carry like that."
