Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has called for more bowler-friendly and sporting pitches in the country, saying the prevalence of flat batting decks at home could be affecting Indian batters' ability to adapt to challenging overseas conditions.
Pujara's comments come after India's recent struggles in England, where the batters found it difficult to cope with movement and bounce. India suffered a 0-4 defeat in the T20I series against England after being beaten 0-2 by lower-ranked Ireland in Belfast, raising questions over the team's adaptability in seaming conditions.
The Indian batters were not short of confidence or match practice when they arrived in the UK. Most of them had come off an IPL season dominated by high-scoring encounters and batting-friendly surfaces. However, the sudden change in conditions proved difficult to handle, with the Indian top order struggling to adjust to the movement and bounce on offer.
Pujara believes the issue can be addressed, at least to an extent, by creating a better balance between bat and ball in domestic cricket and giving bowlers more assistance on Indian pitches.
"Give bowlers something. When you play on flat tracks all the time, you are not really preparing your batters for what they are going to face outside India," Pujara said while discussing India's overseas struggles.
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According to the former Test specialist, batters need to be exposed to a wider variety of conditions at home. He feels that pitches offering some movement, bounce or assistance to seamers would help Indian players develop the skills required to negotiate difficult spells in countries such as England, Australia and New Zealand.
Pujara also stressed that the issue was not necessarily a lack of batting quality or form. Instead, he believes the transition from high-scoring conditions in India to more demanding overseas surfaces requires better preparation.
"When you play on flat wickets, the bowlers have very little margin for error. But when you go to England, the conditions are completely different. The ball moves, there is bounce and you have to respect the bowler," he said.
The former India batter's remarks have renewed the debate over the nature of domestic pitches and the balance between entertainment and player development. While high-scoring games have become a major feature of modern cricket, Pujara feels that a greater variety of surfaces could help Indian batters become more adaptable.
With overseas cricket continuing to test India's batting resources, Pujara's call for more sporting tracks could prompt a fresh discussion on how Indian players are prepared for conditions beyond the subcontinent.
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