Best remembered for being the tearaway quick, whose sharp bouncer left Stuart Broad’s nose fractured at Old Trafford during India’s tour of England in 2014, Varun Aaron on Friday announced his retirement from “representative cricket”.
The 35-year-old Aaron had retired from red-ball cricket at the end of the 2023-24 domestic season, and now has hung his boots completely after his side, Jharkhand, were knocked out of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which he featured in four games and picked up three wickets at an average of 53.33.
“For the past 20 years, I have lived, breathed, and thrived on the rush of bowling fast. Today, with immense gratitude, I officially announce my retirement from representative cricket,” Aaron wrote on his social media handle.
“As I bid farewell to a pursuit that has consumed me completely, I now look forward to savoring the smaller joys in life while staying deeply connected to the game that has given me everything. Fast Bowling has been my first love, and though I step off the field, it will always be a part of who I am,” he added.
Aaron, who emerged as a tearaway quick when he hit 153 kph during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Gujarat, was fast-tracked to the national team for the ODI series in England. He did not get a game on that trip, but he made his India debut in Mumbai in October 2011, against England. He made his Test debut a month later, against the West Indies, also in Mumbai.
Like all fast bowlers across the globe, Aaron’s career during which he played nine Tests and as many ODIs, was marred by multiple injuries. His final Test appearance was in November 2015, a Test against South Africa in Bengaluru, where he picked up one wicket in a match that lost four days to the weather.
“Over the years, I’ve had to push both my physical and mental limits to recover from numerous career-threatening injuries, having to come back time and again, this was only possible thanks to the relentless dedication of the physios, trainers, and coaches at the National Cricket Academy,” Aaron wrote.
Aaron ended his career with 141 wickets from 88 List A matches at an average of 26.47 and economy rate of 5.44, and 95 T20s, where he has 93 wickets at an economy rate of 8.53.
In the Indian Premier League, Aaron has featured in nine seasons between 2011 and 2022 – with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings), Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans – and won the title with Titans in what was his final season in the competition.