With the conditions of the pitches dominating headlines in recent weeks, Sanjay Manjrekar believes cricket fans can finally be hopeful of a competitive match in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2015 ‘Expect a better pitch at Kotla’Following the criticism of the Nagpur pitch and the ICC’s subsequent comments, Sanjay Manjrekar believes India will be under pressure to produce a good and competitive batting track in Delhi1:42

Manjrekar: Expect a better pitch at Kotla

‘Unfortunate that pitch talk has overshadowed the series’ Still, with far too much talk about the state of Indian pitches, and hurt players lashing out at the said critics, one cannot help but feel that the series has not really lived up to its billing.2:00

Manjrekar: Unfortunate that pitch talk has overshadowed series

‘Batsmen need a different game to read Ashwin and Jadeja’ R Ashwin’s deception in flight, and Ravindra Jadeja’s accuracy on turning pitches mean that opposition batsmen rarely get the chance to settle down when the two are bowling in tandem2:19

Manjrekar: Batsmen need a different game to read Ashwin and Jadeja

‘Dhawan must avoid trying to blaze away’Shikhar Dhawan faces a big test at his home ground, and Manjrekar wants the batsman to trust his defense more, rather than attacking from ball one2:55

Manjrekar: Dhawan must avoid trying to blaze away

‘Better pitch will make SA a better team’With South Africa’s pride and a final chance at redemption on the line, Manjrekar feels that the visiting batsman will start thinking differently once they encounter a pitch more conducive to batting.