CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, Aug 30: After an illustrious 18-year-long career with the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron, who is famously known as the Tatanagar Express, bid adieu to Jharkhand Cricket and is set to play for Baroda in the forthcoming season of the domestic cricket.
In an exclusive interview with lagatar24.com, Aaron spoke about his experiences playing for Jharkhand, his standout moment and why he decided to switch from Jharkhand to Baroda.
Q. How was your experience playing for Jharkhand all these years?
I couldn’t ask for anything more. The last 10-12 years have been the golden period for Jharkhand Cricket. We have won a trophy and have been to multiple semis and quarter-finals. I’ve been lucky to play with the best players Jharkhand has ever had like Saurabh, Jaggi, Nadeem, Rahul Shukla and Sunny Gupta. The 6-7 of us had played for the team when Jharkhand played the best cricket in the history of the state’s performance.
Q. Who were the players you looked up to during your initial years with the Jharkhand team?
For me, SS Rao and Sumit Panda were the players I really looked up to. They were the fast bowlers who were doing well for us. SS Rao obviously mentored me when I was a young kid which was great and he is now the coach. He is more like an elder brother to me. We had a great captain in Manish Vardhan as well. I had a great bunch of seniors and got to learn a lot from them and still have a great relationship with them.
Q. What made you opt for Baroda and were there any other teams on your mind?
Throughout the years I have been offered to play for many other teams but I always had a sense of loyalty towards Jharkhand which I still do. This year I felt it was time to change because I aim to play the highest level of cricket. I feel Jharkhand is going to go through a transformative period with the passing of Amitabh Choudhary. So I was pretty sure this was a good move to make.
Baroda has really good wickets which have pace and bounce which is something I am looking forward to. When you compare it to the Ranchi wicket, it is a different wicket altogether. With these factors combined, I am looking for a new challenge, a new zone with different players which is exciting you know.
Q. What impact did the late Amitabh Choudhary have on your career while playing for JSCA?
His impact has been on every cricketer who has played in the last 15-20 years for Jharkhand. He brought some stability to the Association. There was stability, consistency and surety that if you are a good player and you are performing for the state you will always be treated fairly. He had a lot of respect for hardworking cricketers. He was a visionary and a fair administrator. He will definitely be missed. We both were really close and we both were a part of Jharkhand Cricket during its golden phase.
Q. What would be that one standout moment you would pick while playing for Jharkhand and why?
Obviously winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2011. That was pivotal in Jharkhand Cricket. Except for Bengal, no other team in the East zone has ever won the trophy. That was huge for us. I honestly feel like we could have easily won a Ranji Trophy as well. It’s just that things didn’t come together at the right time in those crucial games. We definitely had the team with 5 to 6 high-level first-class players. All of the 5 players had played for ‘India A’ at least and 2-3 of us for the Indian team. We definitely had the ingredients to win a Ranji Trophy but sadly we couldn’t but when it comes to the best moment it is definitely winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Q. How was your experience playing for County in England?
Playing County was a great time for me because when you play for a County side you are a pro. They have so many international players to choose from but they choose you. It comes with expectations of performing day in and day out. You have to keep your professionalism really high. You get a lot of time to spend with yourself and develop yourself in different conditions. All that put together it was a great experience cricket-wise and personally as well. It was a different culture and I always wanted to get that kind of culture into Jharkhand cricket. It’s more like a family where every player is invested in each other.
Q. Varun Aaron, the IPL player finally winning an IPL trophy. How was that feeling?
It happened really smoothly for us with not even a single speed bump along the way. It was really good learning as to how to go about winning a trophy. The morale in the team was really good with the presence of a great coach and captain who led from the front. Every player contributed to the team when needed.
Q. Do you feel a switch to Baroda could help you get back to national reckoning again?
I cannot look into the future and say what can happen. All I can do is take the right steps, put in the effort and see where that takes me. Obviously moving to Baroda is not an easy option. Easy option would have been staying in Jharkhand, being in my comfort zone and playing for them. I am definitely pushing myself which I feel every professional should do. I am gonna put everything I had and let’s see where that will take me.
Q. So will the Tatanagar Express be renamed the Baroda Express?
(Laughs) Not at all. I will always be the Tatanagar express because that’s where my heart is. I had 18 great years in Jharkhand which I will always treasure.
