Cheteshwar Pujara Explains Why Playing On Rank Turners Hurt India

Former Indian Test stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara has criticised India’s strategy of playing on rank turners on home pitches in Test cricket. The 37-year-old who announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, August 24, said that this strategy had a detrimental effect on Indian cricket as batters lost confidence and the luck factor increased in run-scoring as the team prepared result-oriented tracks. 

This also didn’t suit India well, as New Zealand defeated the Men In Blue 3-0 in their own backyard, which was India’s first Test series defeat at home since 2012. 

"I thought it (rank turners) had a big impact on Indian batting and Test cricket as a whole,” Pujara told India Today. 

“The reason those kinds of tracks were prepared was because of the World Test Championship, where teams wanted results from every game. But I don't think that was ideal for Test cricket.

“Going forward, I'm sure the management and everyone involved has realised that when you prepare such surfaces, a batter needs a lot of luck to score runs. Your skills often get taken out of the game, and you're forced to play bravely, looking to score quick 40s, 50s, or 60s-whatever you can manage.”

However, Pujara also pointed out that the teams worldwide have moved away from this strategy, which was recently seen in England as well, where flattish pitches were prepared and the games lasted all five days. That ensured some exciting Test cricket was played, and everyone got to watch a thrilling Test series, which is a rarity. 

“I think things are changing now. Most teams are playing on better pitches, and I hope India also continues to do so,” Pujara added. 

“I'm not saying the ball shouldn't turn-it should-but matches shouldn't finish in three or three-and-a-half days. Ideally, we should be playing on good pitches where games last into the fourth or fifth day.”