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'Wankhede has been lucky for me'
The ground on which Varun Aaron made his One-Day International debut was also the venue of his first Test match.
Call it destiny, or whatever, the Wankhede stadium is a memorable venue for the young fast bowler.
- Varun Aaron: impressive debut, promising future
"Wankhede has been lucky for me. It has been my debut ground, so to speak," said Aaron, at the end of the first day's play in the third and final Test against the West Indies, on Tuesday."I made my under-19 debut here; my ODI debut (against England) was a decent one as well. So I hope my Test debut is also a memorable one," he added.
However, while the wicket at the Wankhede was kind to the 22-year-old on his ODI debut, it made him work hard without any reward on Tuesday.
About a month ago the young hopeful from Jharkhand made a commendable start to his one-day career, returning with figures of three for 24 as India thrashed England in the fourth ODI.
'Wicket won't change much in the coming days'
Having learnt on Monday evening that he would be replacing Umesh Yadav in the line-up, Aaron was handed his Test cap by VVS Laxman before the match, thereby becoming the 273rd player to play Test cricket for India.
However, even as he toiled, bowling 16 overs in four spells, he went wicketless (none for 47) in his first day in Test cricket.
Not only that, the wicket didn't offer any hope to youngster as well.
"The wicket is not going to change much in the coming days. It has not helped the seamers thus far and it won't be of much help in the days to come either," admitted Aaron.
To his credit, though, Aaron generated considerable pace and bounce from the wicket.
"There was a bit of dampness in the wicket and, as a result, there were a few close shaves early in their (West Indies) innings. But that was the case only for the first 45 minutes," reasoned Aaron.
"There wasn't any swing in the wicket thereafter. So, considering that, I feel I bowled well," he added.
'No pressure when I am told I'm the fastest in the country'
The tough conditions, however, ensured the young bowler had learnt an important lesson on his first day in Test cricket.
"You have to work hard for a wicket in Test cricket, especially on such a ground," he admitted, adding, "And each day has to be played with the same intensity. That's the biggest lesson I learnt on my first day as a Test cricketer."
A lot is expected from Aaron, considered to be the fastest bowler in the country. However, instead of being bogged down by the pressure, the youngster admitted that it instead served as an inspiration.
"Bowling quick comes naturally to me. There's no pressure as such when I am told I'm the fastest bowler in the country," he said. "In fact I take it as a compliment," he added, the smile on his face in tact.