South African Coach Conrad Reflects on “Grovel” Comment During India Test Series

South African head coach Shukri Conrad made headlines when he trolled the Indian team after winning the Guwahati test match. One of his statements in which he used the word ‘grovel’ specially made the Indian cricket community angry. Though Conrad didn’t have any wrong intentions when making that statement, the Indians, still reeling from a humiliating test defeat, interpreted it differently.

The South African head coach has now come up with clarification about his last statement. He explained that he never intended to humiliate anyone with his remarks. Keeping in view the controversy that erupted after that, he admitted that he should have chosen different words to convey his point.

"On reflection, it was never my intention to cause any malice or not be humble about anything. I could have chosen a better word because it left it open for people to put their own context to it," said South African head coach, Shukri Conrad.

He then elaborated on his statement, saying that he only meant making things challenging for India on the final day of the Guwahati test match. He admitted that he will be more careful with his words in the future, as people can always interpret them differently.

"The only context I ever intended it to be was that we wanted India to spend a lot of time in the field and make it really tough for them. I've got to be careful what word I use here now because context could be attached to that as well." explained Shukri Conrad.

For the unversed, the controversy over the word arose when Conrad mentioned that South Africa decided to declare their second innings in Guwahati late in the day for strategic reasons. He said the decision was taken to make India work hard in the field, so that their energy can be drained.

"We wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field, we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game, and then say to them, 'come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.'" said Shukri Conrad at the end of the Guwahati test match.

A Statement that Added Spice to the ODI Series

The statement given by Conrad enraged many in the Indian cricket community. However, it seemed to work in India’s favor, as they responded by playing with greater intensity to win the ODI series. Shukri Conrad also acknowledged this fact, saying that the statement added a bit of spice to the series.

"It's really a pity. Maybe what it did do was spice up the ODI series, and especially with India winning that now, the T20 series becomes even more so," said Shukri Conrad.

"The unfortunate thing is, with all the noise that that word caused, I still think it's a perfectly good English word, but I just left it open to too many interpretations. What it did was take away the gloss of what was a really special win for our Test team. It's unfortunate, but there was definitely no malice intended." added Shukri Conrad.

He then said that South Africa is a team that likes to stay humble on the field. It is a key attribute of their nature which helps them to stay focused on the game. Therefore, he is confident that the team will follow the same rules, as it has worked well for them. As far as the controversy around the particular word is concerned, Conrad thinks that it should come to an end now.

"Being humble is a cornerstone of our Test team and all our teams for that matter. It's unfortunate that the noise and the talk became around the coach. People shouldn't really even know who the coach is. It should be about the players. That's the unfortunate bit, and I'd like to think that it's going to be put to bed now." concluded Shukri Conrad.

India will now face South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting from December 9. It is expected to be a thrilling contest, as both teams are loaded with renowned stars. India will try to dominate the matches by taking advantage of home conditions, though South Africa is unlikely to give them an easy path to clinch the series.