Kohli's maturity, Ashwin's guile, AB's wrong instinct

'Amla, du Plessis played Ashwin smartly'

Even though South Africa succumbed to an eventual series defeat, Manjrekar was impressed by the grit shown by Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla at the crease, as they resisted the Indian spinners for more than 40 overs.

'South African instinct got the better of AB'

Manjrekar, though, was less complimentary towards AB de Villiers, who he felt got out to R Ashwin trying to play unorthodox cricket.

'Kohli studies opposition batsmen well'

While Manjrekar feels Virat Kohli can work on his bowling changes more, he is impressed with the India captain's plans for different batsmen

'Ashwin innovating even on turning tracks'

Ashwin is no longer a bowler dependent on pitch assistance as he constantly tries to deceive batsmen, irrespective of where he bowls

What to expect from the Kotla pitch?

Manjrekar believes that while India might want another turner, they shouldn't be surprised if Kotla turns out to be the best batting pitch of the series