Shukri Conrad's 'grovel' comment on delayed declaration caused a huge uproar.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad for his infamous "grovel" statement made during last week's news conference in Guwahati, following the visitors' dismal 2-0 Test series win. Gavaskar called the comments "ill-advised," saying Conrad should recognize it and apologize.
South Africa defeated India at home for the second time in 12 months. During the second test at the Barsapara Stadium, Conrad was questioned about why the Proteas did not enforce the follow-on despite a dominant 288-run advantage in the first innings. He explained, "We wanted them (India) to really grovel."
Speaking on JioHotstar’s Cricket Live on Sunday, Gavaskar stated that the word choice was improper, particularly in light of the deep cricketing relations between the two countries and the important role India and the BCCI have played in South Africa's return to international cricket.
"You could say it was an ill-advised use of the word. We need to look back at South Africa's re-entry into international cricket. It was the Indian Cricket Board that proposed South Africa's readmission after more than 20 years of isolation, and their first international match on return was played in India.
When you consider the current landscape of South African cricket, especially the SA20, five out of the six franchises are Indian-owned. These owners are significantly supporting South African players—not just the international stars who are well taken care of, but the fringe players as well—giving them opportunities to build strong careers," Gavaskar said on JioStar.
Gavaskar further stated that he wasn’t looking for an apology but expected Conrad to clarify his statement in his next press conference, acknowledging that the remark went a bit too far.
"Indian and South African cricket have shared a positive, collaborative relationship for decades. Across all the years and encounters between the two teams, the cricket has always been competitive and tough, but never hostile. I have witnessed nearly every India-South Africa contest, and it has always been hard, fair cricket. Nothing beyond that. So yes, it may have been an ill-advised remark—wrong time, wrong place," Gavaskar said.
"I hope that in his next media interaction, he addresses it. I don't think an apology is necessary; I personally don't believe in apologies. But acknowledging it and making up for it would be accepted by everyone. These things happen. In the heat of the moment, you can get carried away and say something that goes a bit over the top. Given the strong connection between Indian and South African cricket over the last 30 years, I think he can simply clarify that he got a bit carried away," he concluded.