Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has cautioned against preparing rank turners for Test matches on Indian soil, saying that they haven’t only hurt the batters but also the quality of Test cricket.

Pujara admitted that such pitches were deliberately served during the World Test Championship cycle to ensure results, but stressed that the move has proved counterproductive.

India's gamble with spin-friendly tracks backfired in the last WTC cycle, as the team failed to qualify for the final after suffering a humiliating 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.

"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 chat with India Today.

"Going forward, I'm sure the management and everyone involved has 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," he added.

Pujara, who recently announced his retirement from Indian cricket, asked India to focus on sporting wickets that produce balanced contests lasting into the fourth and fifth days.

"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," he remarked.

Cheteshwar Pujara called time on his India career after scoring 7195 runs from 103 Tests at an average of 43.60, including 19 hundreds and 35 half-centuries. The highlight of his career was the critical role he played in India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumphs on Australian soil in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Beyond his international exploits, Pujara built a monumental legacy in domestic cricket. In 278 first-class appearances, he aggregated 21,301 runs at an average of 51.82, including 66 centuries and 81 fifties.

A true red-ball specialist, Pujara also left a notable mark in List A cricket, scoring 5759 runs from 130 matches with 16 tons and 34 half-centuries. However, he got only five matches to prove his worth in ODIs for India.