Shukri Conrad tracks back on the use of the word “grovel” against India in the Test series, saying could have used better word.
Shukri Conrad on using ‘grovel’ in India Test series: ‘I could have chosen a better word.
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad has sought to explain his controversial remarks about wanting India to “grovel” during the Guwahati Test, saying there was no ill intent behind his words.
Addressing the media for the first time since making the comment, Conrad did not issue a formal apology, but suggested he wished he had phrased it differently, even as South Africa went on to complete a dominant 2–0 series victory.
“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,” Conrad said after South Africa’s series loss in Visakhapatnam. “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.”
Conrad had made the comment after the fourth day’s play of the second Test, when South Africa batted deep into their second innings and set India a daunting target of 549. When asked why they hadn’t declared earlier, he replied along the lines of: 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.'”
Conrad made no public comment in the immediate aftermath, but Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma twice fielded questions about the use of the word. On both occasions, Bavuma said it was an issue for Conrad himself to address.
In the days that followed, Conrad said he had been in communication with a “network of people that I trust — family back home, and people on our staff,” and through those conversations came to the realisation that his words had caused unintended damage which needed to be repaired.
“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,” Conrad said. “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.”