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Picture Credit: BCCI

Varun Aaron represents a rare breed in Indian cricket. Those who have started following Indian cricket in recent years may not be aware but an out-and-out fast bowler with raw pace was hard to find in India in the years gone by. But for Varun, it was about bowling fast or not bowling at all.

While Varun has always been associated with Jharkhand cricket, after over a decade and a half stint with them, the 32-year-old has decided to part ways with them and play with Baroda. As he takes a new step in his cricketing career, the India and Gujarat Titans speedster in interaction with SportsTiger shared what prompted him to take the decision, and what's on his mind when he is on the top of his run-up among many other things.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. A new chapter for you in your career. How do you reflect on your stint with the Jharkhand cricket team and what excites you the most about playing with Baroda?

I have had a great run with Jharkhand. I mean I am really happy with the way things have panned out in the last 18 years. I would say I have been a part of Jharkhand and Bihar cricket's best phase ever. We have gone to so many quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, we have won the Vijay Hazare trophy, I think we are the only team other than Bengal in the East Zone to win a trophy. It's been great. Me along with guys like Shahbaz Nadeem, Ishank Jaggi, Rahul Shukla, Saurabh Tiwari- we have had a great run.

With Baroda, I feel the whole prospect is exciting. They have got a great team. They have got Rayudu leading the side. There is Hardik and Krunal as well. We have got a great coach with Dav Whatmore. So yeah, as a whole, it's pretty exciting to be part of Baroda.

Q. While you admitted that you had a great time with Jharkhand, were there any factors that prompted you to move on at this stage of your career?

Amitabh Choudhary passing away was quite a blow to the Jharkhand association. He has been the person running cricket for the last 20-25 years. So now Jharkhand is going to go through a transformative phase and it will be interesting to see what happens there. This was on my mind for a while as there were a few teams that had approached me to play for them but I had a very high sense of loyalty towards Jharkhand and I didn't want to leave. I just feel, considering a lot of factors and the current atmosphere in the association and looking at my own personal goals, I felt leaving now was the best time. 

Q. Having played for a number of years now while you are definitely someone youngsters will look up to for mentorship but at the same time, it will be a new setting for you. How do you see that dynamic playing out?

I mean I have been a part of such settings before as well. After playing county cricket when you go into a domestic team and you are the pro, you are expected to do a lot of things. You are expected to help the youngsters, try and contribute towards the team's atmosphere, put in performances. So that's something I have done before and it's not new to me. I am really looking forward to it. I enjoy doing it. 

Q. If there is one word that people associate with Varun Aaron it's probably "fast". How do you look at the new crop of Indian fast bowlers- the likes of Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and an Umran Malik- another express pace sensation like yourself?

It's really heartening. I love the fact that there are so many fast bowlers at the moment. I feel they are all products of the system which the BCCI has put in place. Not just the BCCI, places like the MRF Pace Foundation, the Zonal Cricket Academies and the National Cricket Academy- just because training is so much more organised and structured that fewer people have missed out. Everyone has been taken care of. That's why we are seeing so many fast bowlers coming out now and it's great as the future of Indian cricket is looking bright.

Q. Yours has been an injury-prone career. Stress fractures, back injury, leg injury, you have gone through it all. How challenging it is for a fast bowler to keep himself injury free as far as possible and more importantly come back from an injury because, at a certain level, injuries are inevitable?

Injuries are part and parcel of fast bowling. It is something I don't think any fast bowler has been able to avoid injuries during his career because you are putting your body through so many different forces and so much stress. But you have just got to stay as disciplined as possible. Work as hard as possible and not lose heart because if you get injured a lot of people take the safer option of bowling slower or training less but if you have to function at an optimum level and at a level where you are pushing your body every single time, you have to be highly disciplined and highly motivated. 

Q. Making your India debut under MS Dhoni, being a captain yourself and playing with Hardik Pandya as the skipper in the dream season that Gujarat Titans had in IPL 2022. He is again someone who came back from an injury and has done so well. How was it playing at the Titans and do you, like several others, see him as a leader of the national team in the future?

Definitely. I mean Hardik the way he led us in the last IPL season was unbelievable. He was so calm, so composed, took the right decisions at the right time and more than anything else, he was there for all the players on and off the field. I think he is a total players' captain. Gives everybody the freedom to do what they do and backs them completely which is a sign of any good captain. I definitely think that he is someone who can lead India to many trophies in the future.

Q. Obviously when you have taken such a big decision, you see your career going in a certain direction. Even in your social media post, you talk about achieving certain dreams and goals. How do you see your career panning out from here?

I don't have a crystal ball which is going to tell me the future. But I know for certain that if take the right steps and put in the efforts, I will get the results. So all I have in mind is to put in the effort. See the easiest option for me at this stage would have been to play for Jharkhand for however long I wanted and be in my comfort zone. But I have taken the option which people would not want at this stage in their career - to play for a state in the West, a state with more cricketing history, a richer cricketing history, they are proud of their cricket. 

A more accomplished state in cricket. So yeah, I mean That's all I can do. I can take the decisions which are going to be tougher but they also do me good if it works out. I believe in working hard, working smart and doing everything I can do to achieve my dreams. And the rest is totally up to how things pan out.

Q.  You have been very vocal about how in India people think once you cross 30 you can't achieve certain things. Is that at the back of your mind when you are training or at the top of your run-up?

(Chuckles). No, not at all. I mean when I am training all I want to do is get better at what I am doing and on top of my run-up, all I want to do is get the batsman out. Such things are obviously not in my head. But when a reporter would ask me what do you think you are 30, I will share my thoughts. I feel age is just a number. It all boils down to how hard you work, how dedicated you are and how much you believe in yourself.