The cricket world found itself revisiting an uncomfortable chapter of history after the South Africa coach Shukri Conrad used the word “grovel” while speaking about India’s crushing defeat in the second Test. What Shukri Conrad intended as a comment on his team’s dominant position quickly turned into a point of controversy, with many feeling the word carried a weight that should never be ignored.
Shukri Conrad was explaining why South Africa delayed their second-innings declaration despite having a massive lead. In an attempt to justify the decision, he said that they wanted India to “really grovel”. The moment he said it, the term struck a nerve because of its historical baggage in cricket.
The word is tied to a painful memory from 1976, when England captain Tony Greig said he would make the West Indies “grovel”. At the time, with apartheid still defining South Africa and a white captain referring to a predominantly Black team, the remark was widely condemned for its racial undertones. It remains one of the most infamous comments of cricket.
Dale Steyn, one of South Africa’s greatest fast bowlers, immediately expressed his discomfort while speaking on the broadcast. He said the choice of word was unnecessary and carried a stigma that should never be taken lightly. For him, South Africa’s dominance on the field was enough, no provocative remark was needed. He acknowledged that Shukri Conrad’s tone was not as harsh as Tony Greig’s had been, but insisted that some words simply shouldn’t be used. His reaction was straightforward, he was disappointed.
Former India captain Anil Kumble also weighed in with a similar sense of disapproval. He reminded everyone that the phrase has a deep and painful history in cricket, especially considering what followed after Tony Greig’s remark decades ago. Anil Kumble said that when a team is winning, humility becomes even more important and he didn’t expect such a comment from a coach at a moment when South Africa had all but sealed the series.
While Tony Greig’s comment famously motivated the West Indies to produce one of the most dominant series wins in history, India had no such resurgence in Guwahati. Instead, they suffered their worst ever Test defeat, a massive 408-run loss to South Africa.
The incident has sparked conversations not just about the match but about respect, awareness and the weight certain words carry. As cricket continues to evolve, voices like Dale Steyn and Anil Kumble remind the game that dominance on the field should never overshadow dignity off it.
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