Cheteshwar Pujara bats for more sporting tracks in India
Former cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has called for more bowler-friendly pitches in India as he believes playing on flat decks at home is adversely impacting the Indian batters’ ability to adapt to seaming conditions in countries like England.
Indian batters struggled against bounce and movement, losing a T20I series to England 0-4 after being whitewashed 0-2 by lower-ranked Ireland in Belfast. The Indian batters were not lacking in form, having landed in the UK after an IPL season dominated by high-scoring matches, but struggled to adapt to a change of conditions.
Pujara believes it can be avoided by simply ensuring a better balance between bat and ball in the pitches on offer here.
“Even in the IPL, you don’t want matches where teams can easily chase 260. There has to be something for the bowlers,” Pujara said on ‘JioStar’. “In T20 cricket, the margin for error is already very small, especially on flat pitches with short boundaries, while batters continue to get stronger and more innovative. “That’s why it’s important to have pitches that offer bowlers a little assistance, whether through some turn or a bit of movement in the first two or three overs.”
Pujara also pointed out that the Indian T20 batting group has very little white-ball experience in English conditions despite their IPL exploits.
“In England, you can’t rely only on six-hitting. You need to play more flat-batted shots, access straight boundaries and use options like the upper cut and cuts over point against the short ball.
“We didn’t see enough of those shots, and I think that was largely down to a lack of experience in these conditions,” he said.
The visitors have recovered to make a strong start in the ODI series against England on Tuesday, winning comfortably by six wickets.
The ODI line-up, which is led by Shubman Gill, was also bolstered by the return of heavyweights Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.
Pujara said the return of Rohit and Kohli in particular brings much-needed composure and belief to the side.
“What Rohit and Virat will bring is calmness and confidence, and that only comes with experience. The T20I squad lacked experience, so having players who have consistently performed against England across Tests, ODIs and T20Is will give the dressing room belief because they know how to win,” he said.
