Varun Aaron Lifts India on Pacy Old Trafford Pitch

Varun Aaron's pace has been a talking point in Indian cricket ever since he clocked 153 kmph during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Gujarat. For over four years since, India have been on the lookout for this tear-away from Jharkhand, but the speedster has often disappointed with his poor line and lack of fitness. (Day 2 Report | Scorecard)

Old Trafford has given Aaron a fresh lease of life. Ishant Sharma's injury and Mohammed Shami's lackluster form opened the door for him. On a Manchester pitch that offered considerable help to pacers, Aaron stormed England with some aggressive fast bowling. (Day 2 Highlights)

Aaron finished Day 2 of the fourth Test, with figures of 16-2-48-3, his best haul yet in Test cricket, obliterating the 3/106 against the West Indies. (Also read: Will never compromise on my pace, says Varun Aaron)

Much like what Ishant did at Lord's, Aaron intimidated the English batsmen with sheer pace and a barrage of short-pitched deliveries. Aaron sounded his intention in the closing stages of Day 1 on Thursday. He got Alastair Cook caught at deep square leg and trapped an in-form Gary Balance LBW by sheer pace. But it was Moeen Ali's wicket that exposed the talent of this young quickie. (Ian Bell praises Indian bowlers, says 3rd Test hanging in the balance)

Aaron softened Ali with bouncers and then knocked him out with a killer ball that found the gate and hit timber. The 'variety' in Aaron's arsenal was impressive and he can only get better with exposure. Wasim Akram feels Aaron should play continuously for India for the next four years, fitness permitting.

Aaron made his Test debut in India against the West Indies in 2011. It came on the back of his record-breaking speed in the domestic circuit. However, in modern day cricket, pace alone is never enough and he needed to work on his fitness. The 24-year-old, who has also played eight ODIs, has often been guilty of leaking too many runs, but in Manchester, he was quite economical). For a man who gave away more than four runs an over in his only Test before this and gives away nearly seven in ODIs, Aaron's economy rate in Manchester so far has been only three.

"The plan was to stick to basics, to bowl good lines and length and bowl fast," an injury-prone Aaron said on Thursday. He played ideal foil to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who relies more on swing

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, had in the lead-up to the fourth Test at Old Trafford, stressed on the need to play Aaron. "The Manchester track is the fastest wicket in England. I think Varun Aaron should get a look-in," opined Ganguly. Sunil Gavaskar too shared a similar view.

The break has probably come at the right time. But as Akram said, "Don't go overboard with Aaron. He has shown his potential. It is great to see someone running in hard and bowling at 140 consistently. He can only get better."

Fingers crossed.