India tightens screws as South Africa reaches 151-6 at tea
NAGPUR, India (AP) Legspinner Amit Mishra picked up two wickets in the second session Friday as South Africa stumbled to 151-6 at tea on the third day of the third test, chasing 310 runs for victory.
Jean-Paul Duminy (15) and Dane Vilas (2) were not out at the break with South Africa still requiring another 159 runs with four wickets in hand.
Mishra had figures of 3-40, while offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets in the morning session to have 3-50.
Mishra broke a defiant 72-run fifth-wicket partnership between Hashim Amla (39) and Faf du Plessis (39) that lasted 46.2 overs when he had Amla caught by captain Virat Kohli at gully. He also accounted for du Plessis, who went for a pull shot but was bowled as the ball kept low.
Resuming on 32-2, South Africa lost two early wickets before Amla and du Plessis forged their partnership.
The Amla-du Plessis stand was the second highest for South Africa in this series after the 76-run partnership between Amla and Dean Elgar for the third wicket in the first innings of the first test at Mohali.
The pitch seemed to play a little slower Friday than on the first two days, and Amla and du Plessis negotiated the bowling with some difficulty as the ball found the edge of the bat a few times but did not carry to the fielders.
The pair looked more confident in the second session, but the runs did not come easy as they scored just 21 off 19 overs in the first hour after lunch before both were dismissed in successive overs from Mishra.
Ashwin, who took five wickets in the first innings, had Elgar caught bat-pad at silly-point for 18 and de Villiers was beaten by a ball that trapped him lbw for 9.
India, which had taken a 136-run first innings lead and then scored 173 in its second innings, won the first test at Mohali by 108 runs and settled for a draw in the rain-marred second test at Bangalore.
