“Had a big impact on Indian batting and test cricket”- Cheteshwar Pujara slams BCCI for preparing spin tracks for WTC points

Cheteshwar Pujara retired from Indian Cricket on 24th August.

Cheteshwar Pujara, a former batter for India, has expressed disapproval of the use of rank turners prepared by India, stating that they have harmed the team’s batting as well as the test cricket system as a whole.

Although he acknowledged that these pitches were purposefully made for ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points and to guarantee outcomes, he emphasised that the action had backfired.

In order to qualify for the ICC WTC 2023-25 final, India gambled on spin-friendly conditions at home, a move that backfired. After defeating Bangladesh 2-0 at home, India needed to defeat New Zealand to secure a berth in the WTC final, but the Black Caps defeated India 0-3 at home, their first test series loss since England’s victory in 2012.

India failed to qualify for the ICC WTC final after Australia drubbed them 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

“Wasn’t ideal for Test cricket”—Cheteshwar Pujara on India preparing turning tracks for ICC WTC

Pujara stressed that on pitches turning from Day 1, batters are forced to depend more on luck than skill, often looking for quick runs instead of settling in.

“I thought it had a big impact on Indian batting and Test cricket as a whole. 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,” Pujara said in an exclusive interview with India Today.

“Going forward, I’m sure the management and everyone involved have realized 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,” Pujara said.

Pujara added that India should now focus on preparing sporting pitches at home. India will host West Indies and South Africa for a total of four tests.

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

Pujara last played for India in the ICC WTC 2021-23 final and ended his career with over 7000 runs in 103 tests with 19 centuries to his name. He also played five ODIs, with 51 runs to his name.

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