“Imagine abhi baaki hain,” said Biju Nair. The former services coach got a closer look at Aaron George and saw another big chapter being written on a sun-drenched Wednesday afternoon in Harare. India chased down 311 runs in the U-19 World Cup semi-finals with double centuries from Afghanistan’s Faisal Shinoda and Uzharullah Niazar. When Aaron returned with 115 off 104 balls, India reached their 10th U-19 World Cup final. They are now waiting for England to take part in the pinnacle showdown. It was the highest chase in the exhibition and was completed with nearly nine overs remaining.
“He should finish today,” Biju told TOI. “He is very level-headed. He controls the innings very well.” Around him, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre made cameos in their IPL style, but Aaron was the thread of the chase. Sooryavanshi scored a 33-ball 68 while third-ranked Indian captain Ayush Mhatre scored a brilliant 59-ball 62. Together they helped India win a tricky chase. “Aaron can play all kinds of innings,” Biju said. “He can match Vaibhav’s blitz in the final innings of a Test match or call out defenders with their backs against the wall.” It’s not easy. Aaron had started, but it didn’t change them. After missing the first two games of the tournament due to an elbow injury, he had scores of 7, 23 and 16 respectively. “Before this game I made a point of keeping his morale up,” he added. Aaron’s response was emphatic: A century of composure is built on precision, not strength. Back home in Hyderabad, a man can barely contain himself. “Did you see that straight six he hit?” asked Aaron’s father, Esso Varghese. “That was the best shot of the game for me. His hit came at the right time.” Easo grew up in Hyderabad, with roots in Kerala—Easo is from Mavelikara and mother Preeti is from Kottayam—the foundation was laid early. Esso, a former sub-inspector of the Hyderabad police, recalled that Aaron noticed something special when he was just four years old. “At my in-laws’ house, he picked up a plastic bat and just hit the ball. No effort. That’s when I knew his talent.” In a tense World Cup semi-final, that straight bat told its own riveting story. As Biju reminds us, there’s more to come from Aaron.
