'Against spin you have to play the ball late'

Hashim Amla is the man in form.

With scores of 159, 81 and 16 in three innings in the ongoing series, he had an aggregate of 256 @ 85.33 coming into the third Test against India. Without doubt, he is one of South Africa's stand-out performers on this tour. Thus, it was palpable that his team expected him to continue the good work.

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That he did with aplomb, first combining with captain Graeme Smith for a 91-run stand for the second wicket and then posting yet another half century (51).

The hallmark of his batting on the tour is his ability to handle the spinners well. Friday was no different, except for the fact that he went on the offensive almost instantly.

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"It wasn't a conscious effort to go for the boundaries," explained Amla later.

"It was a quick outfield early on, and so it was important to score quickly, because with the spinners on it was always going to be more difficult.

"This was a difficult wicket, as it took more turn on the first day than any other wicket I have played on."

Many a good batsmen struggle against spin on the docile Indian wickets. Having negotiated the Indian spinners quite well on this tour, Amla believes that all it takes is application and perseverance.

"In order to play the spinners well, you have to try and play the ball late," he explained.

"It is hard work against the spinners, especially on a wicket like this. So it is important to stick to a gameplan as much as you can, be as positive, while attacking as well as while defending."

Words of wisdom from a man who has mastered the art of playing spin, the nature of the wicket notwithstanding.

For those who struggle against spin, he has some advice: "As a player, I would just like to play to the best of my ability, the nature of the wicket is immaterial."