Varun Aaron: Once a 150-kmph bowler, now Glenn McGrath’s Indian coaching partner at MRF Pace Academy

(Express Photo/File)

Varun Aaron, a pace bowler who never delivered on his promise during his nine-Test career, has gone into coaching after playing his last First-class game.

After eight back stress breakdowns and three foot fractures during his nearly-15-year First-Class career, Aaron, who still clocks high 140kph, will team up with the legendary Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. It’s a comeback of sorts having started as a tearaway quick at the institute as a teenager.

“I have been at the MRF foundation for the past 15 years, more in the capacity of a player. Considering I was going to call time on one format, the company MD (Rahul Mammen Mappillai) and I had a chat last year. I suggested that we upgrade our facilities and start a hunt for raw fast bowlers, which we did recently to feed 140-plus pacers into the system,” Aaron says.

The MRF Ace of Pace talent hunt programme held trials for nearly 2,500 pacers across four cities, following which three bowlers were inducted into the academy earlier this month.

Delving into sports science

Fascinated by the mechanics behind his art, Aaron is also delving into the techniques as a sports science student at the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai. “I want to be a sports scientist. I have a huge interest in the subject and just the way the body moves, and how fast bowlers can avoid injuries,” he says.

A High-Performance Centre is Aaron’s initiative for the foundation. “Rahul Mammen has the vision to make the Pace Foundation the world’s premier fast bowling academy, which prompted him to accept my proposal. It’s going to be the first high-performance cricketing facility of its kind in India. We’re going to launch it in mid-April.

“We have imported some unbelievable equipment from all over the world. We are working with people from the top institutions in India to monitor the players’ sleep, workload, etc,” Aaron adds.

The 34-year-old understands the curse of injuries more than most. While his career has run in parallel with India’s pace riches across formats, Aaron looks at the next generation without hard feelings.

“There are no regrets. I would not be content with whatever I’ve achieved. I still haven’t retired from cricket, I am still bowling well. So you never know what the future holds.

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“I have had a lot of injuries. I don’t want fast bowlers making the mistakes I made. I want to pass on my knowledge to push their levels despite injuries and help them breach the 150kph mark.”

Aaron admits that the MRF Foundation has not been able to generate genuine Test bowlers over the last decade – the right-arm quick being the last academy regular to represent India in red-ball cricket. “It’s a bit sad that there has been no fast bowler after me, like in every organization that might have been in a transitional phase. But with Ramji (Srinivasan) as strength and conditioning coach, myself and Glenn coming together, we will take the Pace Foundation to the next level. I’m certain the results will be there to be seen within two years,” he stresses.

‘Top of off’

Aaron’s bouncer would break through Stuart Broad’s grille, leaving the England player with a bloodied nose and a whirlpool of nightmares during the Manchester Test of 2014. The following year in Bengaluru, he would dismiss Hashim Amla by hitting the top of his off-stump.

While the Singhbhum Express emphasises on expanding a fast bowler’s repertoire with “accessories like the knuckleball”, Aaron pins the ‘top of off’ as his foremost project with raw aspirants.

“You cannot be a good fast bowler if you can’t hit the top of off at maximum effort. Once you secure that, everything else follows. Say you’re playing in the Ranji Trophy. You can’t bowl 30 overs of slow balls, right?” he asks.

His final outing in whites for Jharkhand will attest to his love for the art.

“My last first-class game was on a dead pitch. I picked up five (wickets). We won our first significant game of the season, beating Rajasthan. I feel only somebody with genuine pace can sometimes take the wicket out of the equation and deliver for the team. And when you’ve been gifted with the talent of bowling fast, which not everybody has, you have to maximize it as long as you’re playing.”