Chennai: Ever since an injured Zaheer Khan left the scene in 2014, the Indian pace attack has been carrying the tag of “inexperience” throughout the tour of England and Australia. However, pacer Varun Aaron, who has played half a dozen Tests, said the current batch of pace bowlers have gained enough exposure on the big stage and that they have to make it count in the upcoming season.
Stressing the importance of taking 20 wickets, Aaron, who is part of the India ‘A’ squad, said: “I’m not trying to defend ourselves. We could have bowled better abroad. We have had a taste of bowling in the sub-continent, England and Australia. Lack of experience can’t be an excuse any longer. The year ahead is going to be crucial.”
While Bhuvneshwar Kumar swung the ball prodigiously in England, it was the pace power of Aaron and Umesh Yadav that posed a few problems for the hosts Down Under earlier this year. With Yadav also figuring in the India ‘A’ team, Aaron said he would enjoy bowling in tandem with the Vidarbha player at full throttle.
“We are great friends off the field. In these conditions an extra yard of pace adds more potency to our bowling. At home, reversing the ball would be the key and our focus is on making the ball swing late in the day. These are ideal conditions to prepare for the Sri Lanka Test series,” said the 25-year-old, adding that he would prefer to bowl quick, short spells as the weather is expected to be humid.
Aaron is qualified to comment on the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli, having played under both of them in the longer version. “They are similar when it comes to handling the pacers. They give you enough space to execute the plans in addition to the field a bowler wants. I didn’t find much difference between the two. Kohli’s aggression as a leader was evident on the final day of the one-off Test in Bangladesh. Although the match heading towards a tame draw, he asked the bowlers to give their all,” added Aaron.
