‘Grovel’ ?:At the conclusion of the fourth day of play in Guwahati, Conrad caused controversy by using a phrase with a contentious past in cricket. “We wanted them (India) to really grovel,” Conrad stated at the press conference following the day’s performance. Despite the lead surpassing 500 in the second session, the Proteas continued to bat because, according to coach Shukri Conrad, they wanted to ensure that India’s hopes of winning the series were dashed.
How ‘Grovel’ Became One of Cricket’s Most Loaded Words
South Africa’s head coach Shukri Conrad used the word “grovel” on Tuesday, fifty years after England captain Tony Greig’s remark prior to the 1976 series against Clive Lloyd’s team inspired and united the West Indian players.
At the conclusion of the fourth day of play in Guwahati, Conrad caused controversy by using a phrase with a contentious past in cricket. “We wanted them (India) to really grovel,” Conrad stated at the press conference following the day’s performance.
Despite the lead surpassing 500 in the second session, the Proteas continued to bat on Day 4 because, according to coach Shukri Conrad, they wanted to ensure that they ended India’s hopes of winning the series.
“We really wanted them to grovel… Conrad told reporters, “Bat them out of the game completely and then tell them to come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.”
“Everything is going well so far, but we also know they won’t simply roll over. Tomorrow, we’ll need to perform at our highest level.
“Due to its connection to one of the most well-known cricket controversies, the comment attracted immediate attention. Tony Greig, the captain of England at the time, predicted that his team would “grovel” the West Indies during their 1976 tour.
The word turned into a focal point for the opposing team. The next era of Caribbean fast bowling was shaped by the West Indies players’ outstanding performance, which resulted in a 3-0 victory in the five-match Test series. It was astounding in its lack of political or historical awareness that a wealthy apartheid child could use such a word just before starting a Test series against a team made up of the descendants of slaves and indentured laborers.
Greig later expressed regret for the remark
Conrad made his remarks on a day when South Africa was on the verge of sweeping the series. South Africa declared their second innings at 260 for 5, and India ended day four at 27 for 2, chasing 549. Within the first ten overs, India lost both of its openers, KL Rahul (6) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13). At the crease at stumps were nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav (4 not out) and Sai Sudharsan (2 not out). India still needs 522 runs, which is an unachievable goal.
Before South Africa declared earlier in the day, Tony de Zorzi (49 off 68 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (94 off 180 balls) held off India’s spinners. In the morning, Washington Sundar (1/67) and Ravindra Jadeja (4/62) took early wickets, but Stubbs and de Zorzi added 101 runs for the fourth wicket.
Additionally, Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder (35) scored 82 runs together for the fifth wicket. The South African lead of 549 was the biggest a visiting team has ever had in India; Australia’s previous record was 542 in Nagpur in 2004.
To complete a historic series sweep at the “final frontier,” South Africa has three sessions to claim the final eight Indian wickets. India cannot possibly pursue the goal; even a draw would be a miracle.