South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad made a controversial remark when he used the word “grovel” after the visiting batsmen made the Indian bowlers toil on Day 4 of the Guwahati Test.
Use of “grovel”, a a word that carries historical baggagesaid to have left quite a few journalists stunned and surprised on Saturday.
In cricket, the word “grovel” is not inherently racist, but it carries a lot of historical weight because of one infamous moment. During England’s 1976 tour of the West Indies, England captain Tony Greig, a white South African-born cricketer, declared that his side would make the West Indians “fit in”. Given the racial dynamics of the era and the sport’s colonial history, the remark was widely seen as derogatory and racially insensitive, even though the word itself is not racist.
The comment stoked Caribbean pride and lit a fire under a West Indies side that thrashed England 3-0 with impressive displays of fast bowling and batting dominance – turning the insult into a rallying cry and changing the course of international cricket in the process.
IND vs SA 2nd Test Day 4 | Scorecard
On Tuesday, Conrad decided to rub salt in India’s wounds and didn’t hold back at the press conference. However, the decorated coach noted that he was “stealing a phrase”.
“We wanted India to spend as much time on their feet in the field as possible. We wanted them to really crawl, steal the phrase, blow them completely out of the game and then tell them come and survive the last day and hour tonight,” Conrad said. Screengrab by X
INDIAN BOWLERS HOLD
South Africa waited for their lead to grow to 548 runs before declaring their second innings at 260 for 5. India’s shoulders slumped as South Africa showed no urgency to run out the clock on their innings, batting until 45 minutes into the final over.
The Indian bowlers looked exhausted after bowling nearly 230 overs in the Test. After winning the toss and electing to bat, South Africa posted 489 and batted for almost two days. India lasted just 86 overs, a total of 201.
South Africa chose not to push for the follow-on despite holding a first innings lead of 288 runs. Tristan Stubbs’ 94 helped them take a lead of over 500 points.
‘THEY WON’T ROLL OVER’
Defending the decision to bat until the latter part of Day 4, Conrad said he wanted his bowlers to take advantage of the fading light in Guwahati when they had a crack at the Indian batting.
“There were a number of factors. Obviously we were looking for the best way to use the new ball to still get a fresh, hard ball in the morning,” Conrad said.
“We felt that when the shadows come on the pitch in the evening, there’s something in it for the fast bowlers. So we didn’t want to announce it too early and they can’t use it (with the hard ball).
“And then of course we wanted India to spend as much time on their feet on the field as possible.
South Africa’s plan worked as they did he removed Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply. The Proteas had India at stumps 27 for 2 on Day 4. Sai Sudharsan, who is under pressure to retain his place, and night watchman Kuldeep Yadav remained unbeaten.
Despite being in a dominant position, South Africa is not taking its foot off the pedal, Conrad said.
“It’s good so far, but we also know they’re just not going to roll over. We’ve got to be at our best tomorrow, but those are the factors we’ve considered here.”
“Some people would say you batted too long. I don’t think so. I don’t think there’s a right and wrong in anything. We wanted India to come out again after that second break and spend time on their feet again.”
The veteran coach said South Africa will defend their decision regardless of what happens on Wednesday.
“So if tomorrow night comes we’re down eight and people say well we saw ‘we told you so’. Well, I guess we have to base it on our good judgment and if it doesn’t go well, then no,” Conrad said with a cheeky grin.
No team has chased more than 418 in the final innings of a Test match. India have also not drawn a home Test after batting more than 90 overs in the fourth innings since 2001.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
November 25, 2025
