Published: Nov 26, 2025, 10:54 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 26, 2025, 10:56 AM (IST)
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has strongly criticised South Africa coach Shukri Conrad for his remark about wanting to make India ‘grovel’ after the end of Day 4 of the second Test in Guwahati.
Conrad literally rubbed it in at the post-play press conference when asked why South Africa batted for nearly 80 overs when they had already acquired a sizeable lead, “We wanted India 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 well come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening,â€
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad wanted his men to make India “grovel†on the fourth day by setting them the mammoth 549-run target that the embattled hosts are currently chasing to save the second Test and an imminent series whitewash.
Conrad’s expression could well stir tensions in what has been a fairly amicable series, but he did mention that he was “stealing a phrase†from the infamous interview by late England skipper Tony Greig before the 1976 home series against Clive Lloyd’s West Indies which his team lost 0-3.
To “grovel†means to “lie or crawl abjectly on the ground with one’s face downwards“, something that Greig, who was of white South African heritage, had said in reference to the Caribbean players, their painful history of slavery and the apartheid in the Rainbow Nation.
Patel was in no mood to give Conrad the benefit of the doubt, insisting that the South Africa coach would have no choice but to apologise on Day 5 of the Test.
“Maybe the South African coach does not know the weightage of the word. But I don’t think so. There was a smirk on his face when he said it. There is no doubt that it was disrespectful. As the Indian team all you do is tell them that ‘You’ve come to this situation by playing well. Well done to you. But there was no need to use such words’. I think through the day we will see an apology from Conrad. I don’t think such things are needed on the cricketing field. You can fight, play hard, but such things are not needed,†Patel said on the Star Sports broadcast before the start of the day’s play on Wednesday.
India will enter the final day under huge pressure. They ended Day 4 at 27/2 in Guwahati and now need to bat through the entire last day just to save the match. Even a draw won’t stop them for losing the series beacuse South Africa already won the first Test at Eden Gardens. And if India want to win this match and level the series, they would need to chase a massive 549 runs in the fourth innings.
