‘Please come down to earth and get bowling’: Sachin Tendulkar’s golden advice that turned tables for this player

India, a cricket-mad country, has always found inspiration in the great Sachin Tendulkar, and his methods have always had a positive impact. Tendulkar transformed from the team’s junior member to a legend throughout the course of his 25-year career. Some players have faded over time, while others, like Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli, who all made their India debuts during Tendulkar’s prime, are still going strong. Varun Aaron, a speedster for Jharkhand, is one such player who just declared his retirement from red-ball cricket after the conclusion of the Ranji Trophy 2023–24 season.

Despite not being able to play for India as often as he would have liked, Aaron, a tearaway bowler who originally made waves in 2008 with his raw pace, spent time with the Indian cricket squad. In November 2011, Aaron made his Test debut for India against the West Indies. Despite a slow start, Aaron managed to take three wickets with the help of Tendulkar, even if it meant the Master Blaster having to be a little rough at times.

“We were playing at the Wankhede Stadium. It was a really flat wicket, and the West Indies were 500 something for four. And I was really down. I was 21 years old and had never bowled 21 overs without a wicket. Sachin Tendulkar was standing at mid-off, he looked at me and asked, ‘why are you looking so down?’ I was like, you know what, Paaji, I’ve never bowled 21 overs for no wickets. I can’t believe this is happening on my debut. He’s like, come here. We stopped mid-over and he said, ‘Do you know I waited 22 years for my first World Cup Trophy? So you can wait 21 overs for your first wicket, there’s no problem with that. Please come down to earth and get bowling,” Aaron said in an interview with the BCCI.

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For Aaron, that’s when it all became clear. The pace finally got rid of the well-positioned Darren Bravo for 166, forcing the skipper MS Dhoni to take the catch after the edge. Aaron dismissed Darren Sammy and cleaned up Charlton Baugh in the course of the following four overs, causing a mini-collapse for the West Indies, who, having started at 518/4, were all out for 590. Tendulkar was bowled by Ravi Rampaul for 94 in the identically drawn Wankhede Test, but as Aaron pointed out, Tendulkar represented more to him than simply his batting in that match.

“I was like, Man, seriously, that makes so much sense. The very next ball, I got Darren Bravo (166) out, caught behind. Then got two other wickets – Carlton Baugh and Daren Sammy. And that just changed my debut. Just a few words from Sachin Tendulkar. I had also induced an edge off Marlon Samuels, but it was dropped,” Aaron added.

“I was bowling flat out, gas out in my 26th over. If I had gotten that wicket, you never know, I would’ve gotten one more over from MS Dhoni and may be a fifer as well. It was just a great spell inspired by the great Sachin Tendulkar. And it just shows you that these very small things can actually change careers, change a debut for somebody.”

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