The performance of Varun Aaron was one of the few positives for Team India in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England. Aaron troubled the English batsmen with his pace and in due course broke Stuart Broad's nose.
A bouncer from Aaron pierced through Broad's helmet, hitting him on the nose in the fourth Test. The Englishman was forced to retire hurt and later diagnosed with a broken nose, but it did not stop England from registering a thumping win over India.
Aaron, meanwhile, has insisted that hurting the English batsman wasn't intentional and he was glad that Broad walked off without any major blow. Broad made a comeback in the fifth match at the Oval and played an instrumental role in England's victory.
"I wasn't looking to hit him, let alone break his nose," Aaron insisted. "In fact, I went into the England dressing room at the end of the day's play to ask Broad, how he was doing and he was glad that it wasn't as bad as he had feared. It was plain unlucky that the ball went in through the visor."
Aaron, however, said being a pacer it is important for him to remain aggressive and trouble the batsmen with speed and bounce.
He also revealed that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni told him to attack Moeen Ali with short balls, as he was not feeling comfortable against them.
"But as a pacer I need to have aggression and if I have to succeed at the international level, I have to use pace to put the batsman on the backfoot," he said. "I guess it worked when I was bowling to Moeen."
"Dhoni told me that I should try tickling his ribs a bit as he hasn't been too comfortable with bouncers," he added. "So when I did pitch it up, he was still waiting for the bouncer."
Meanwhile, former Team India physio John Gloster said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should take proper care of Aaron as he is hit by a number of injuries at a very young age.
"Varun is what 24 years and he has already had a back surgery and that's not a great thing at such a young age," Gloster said. "So he is fast bowler, who needs to be managed very carefully as there is every chance of a recurrence."
Gloster, who is currently working with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals, said there should be a different fitness programmes for the bowlers, as there is a massive speed difference between Aaron and others.
"Varun Aaron bowls at 90 miles per hours while Bhuvneshwar Kumar barely touches 80 miles," he pointed out. "The fitness programme for both would be entirely different as workload also varies completely."
