Varun Aaron thrives on favourite Wankhede track

Varun Aaron

Baroda outclassed Uttarakhand by six wickets in their Elite Group D game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

Put into bat, Uttarakhand were bundled out for mere 109 in 29.1 overs. India pacer Varun Aaron claimed 4-37, while pacers Lukman Meriwala and Atit Sheth took three and two wickets respectively. Dikshanshu Negi scored 50 for Uttarakhand. In reply, thanks to Vishnu Solanki (28 not out) and Bhanu Pania (27 not out) Baroda secured a win in 21.3 overs.

Aaron, 33, who made his Test and ODI debut (against West Indies and England respectively in 2011) at Wankhede, said he enjoys bowling on the Wankhede surface. "I also made my U-19 debut [for Jharkhand] here. I love Wankhede and have a lot of memories of playing on this ground. The bounce is the best part here. I think it's because of the red soil and the way they prepare the wicket…it's a nice hard surface," Aaron told mid-day on Monday.

Aaron shot into the limelight when he bowled at a speed of 153kmph against Gujarat during Vijay Hazare Trophy final at Indore where Jharkhand emerged triumphant in 2010-11. He last represented the country against South Africa in the 2015 Bangalore Test and has claimed 18 wickets in nine Tests and 11 scalps from nine ODIs.

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"I am still bowling fast, still getting wickets. It's just a matter of one good season and you never know how it is in Indian cricket. Till I play this game my focus is always going to be to play for the country and to perform at the highest level," Aaron added. Meanwhile in the Elite Group E encounter at Ranchi, former champions Mumbai bounced back in the tournament after beating Puducherry by nine wickets on Monday. Mumbai bowlers - left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (3-45), pacers Tushar Deshpande (2-14) and Mohit Avasthi (2-15) bowled well to bundle out Puducherry for 139 in 38 overs.

Then, in form batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal (73 not out, 7x4, 2x6) and Prithvi Shaw (39) helped Mumbai win in 24.2 overs. Mumbai now need to beat Railways in their last league game to qualify for the knockouts.