Watch: Amit Mishra breaks through the resistance of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis

Watch: Amit Mishra breaks through the resistance of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis: Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been the chief tormenters for South Africa in the ongoing Test series. However, leg-spinner Amit Mishra also created his own impact under the shadow of Ashwin and Jadeja. He has been bowling very impressively in the short spells he has got so far in the series. India came into day 3 with a hope of wrapping up the South African innings as early as possible. The pitch had turned into a dustbowl and South Africans looked very vulnerable.

India dominated them completely to win the 2nd Test match. Ashwin was the top performer but, it was Mishra who played the perfect supporting role to him in the 2nd innings by picking up the wickets of the stubborn batting duo of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis.

For the first time in the series, Amla and Faf showed some survival skills against the Indian spinners. The flighted delivery were dealt with a forward stride while the flatter ones were played on the back foot. They had compiled a partnership of 72 runs and looked determined to fight back. (However, there was no way they could save the Test match which had two full days still left.)

Amit Mishra finally gave the crucial breakthrough India was looking for. In his post-lunch spell, Mishra bowled the perfect leg-spinning delivery to get rid of Hashim Amla. The ball was nicely flighted, it drifted inwards and pitched on the leg stump line. The ball turned sharply and took an outside edge off the bat which was safely caught at the slips to put an end to South African’s longest innings in the series. Mishra’s next victim was Faf du Plessis.

Du Plessis tried to pull a slightly short-pitched delivery. He tried to pull the ball hard and swung the bat in full force. He had read the length of the delivery early, but the ball bounced low and crashed into his stumps. Mishra was jubilant as the team celebrated with him. Both the batsmen were dismissed for a hard earned 39 runs. Thereafter the Proteas submitted to Ravi Ashwin and in no time India won the match by 124 runs.

Watch: Amit Mishra breaks through the resistance of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis: