‘It should hurt India’: Anil Kumble, Cheteshwar Pujara slam SA head coach’s ‘grovel’ comment, want revenge | Cricket
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad’s use of the word “grovel” while explaining his team’s decision to prolong their second innings on Day 4 of the Guwahati Test has drawn sharp reactions from former India cricketers Anil Kumble, Cheteshwar Pujara and Aakash Chopra, who expressed disappointment at both the phrasing and the timing of the comment.
Anil Kumble was not happy with Shukri Conrad’s ‘grovel’ comment
Conrad said he wanted India to “really grovel” by spending long hours in the field before being handed a daunting 549-run target—remarks he admitted were borrowed from Tony Greig’s infamous pre-series interview ahead of England’s 1976 Tests against West Indies. That original usage, steeped in the painful racial history of the Caribbean and apartheid-era South Africa, led to widespread condemnation and motivated Clive Lloyd’s West Indies to dismantle England 3–0.
Kumble, speaking on Cricket Live, stressed that such language has no place in modern cricket, especially from a team in a position of strength. “There’s history attached to this. Fifty years ago, an England captain used the same phrase against the great West Indies side, and we all know what followed,” he said. “South Africa have most likely won the series, but when you’re on top, your choice of words matters. Humility is most important at such times. I certainly didn’t expect this—from the coach or the support staff. When you’re winning, the first thing is to stay humble, not say something like this at a press conference.”
Cheteshwar Pujara echoed the sentiment, acknowledging both the sting of the comment and the need for India to respond through performance rather than emotion. “It does fire up the team, but it will hurt as well. I don’t think that statement will go down well in the dressing room,” he said. “But the best way to answer it is to fight it out—bat three sessions, build partnerships. We’re in this position because we haven’t played good cricket, and the response has to come with the bat, not through words.”
Aakash Chopra was more direct in referencing the historical baggage associated with the term. Quoting Conrad’s remark, he reminded viewers of its infamy. “ ‘We wanted to make India grovel’ — the South African coach said this after Day 4,” Chopra posted. “I hope everyone in the Indian dressing room understands what it means and gets a history lesson on when it was last used, and what happened afterwards.”
Conrad’s choice of phrase has raised eyebrows not only because of its historical connotation but also because it came from a South African coach speaking about an opposition team carrying its own legacy of battling discrimination. It remains to be seen whether Cricket South Africa addresses the remark internally, but the comment has already added an unexpected layer of tension to a series that had, until now, been largely free of controversy.
