Both South African and former Indian players quickly criticised Conrad’s word choice. Steyn, meanwhile, was clearly unhappy and dissatisfied with Conrad’s word choice.
With a stunning 408-run victory in Guwahati to complete a 2-0 sweep, the tourists crushed the hosts in the last Test match of the India–South Africa 2025 series. But after the victory, a lot of attention has been drawn to head coach Shukri Conrad’s contentious “grovel” remark. Dale Steyn, the renowned fast bowler from South Africa, strongly distanced himself from the coach’s statement after the phrase caused a lot of emotions.
Following Day 4 of the second Test, Conrad’s explanation of why South Africa postponed their second-innings declaration set off the dispute.
In reference to former England captain Tony Greig’s famous 1976 remark, which was emphasised in the West Indies, he stated that the team wanted India to “really grovel.”
Well, I’m not aboard that boat. I’m not fond of that. I’m on the verge of not wanting to say anything about it. There are some things you simply choose not to mention. It has a stigma associated with it. There was simply no need for it. Saying that nothing is sufficient, South Africa was in such a powerful position.
I simply do not belong to that boat. Regardless of tone or intention, he reiterated why the phrase was improper. It’s not as severe as Tony Greig’s, but perhaps I’m picking up on his tone now. That doesn’t matter, though. Words like that are simply not used by you. Discard it. It’s not necessary to say it. That is a letdown. “That’s disappointing, Shukri,” Steyn replied.
Additionally, Cheteshwar Pujara and Anil Kumble condemn the comment.
“The word ‘grovel’ should not be used in modern cricket, regardless of its tone or intent,” Steyn said. He also made the crucial observation that such provocation was unnecessary because South Africa was already in a dominant position.
Additionally, senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and former India captain Anil Kumble criticised the remark, calling it insulting, particularly coming from a team that is poised to win a dominant series. India’s greatest home Test loss in history occurred on the pitch. They dropped to fifth place in the standings after their 408-run defeat dashed their aspirations of winning the World Test Championship.
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