- By Namrata Vijay
- Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:30 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs SA 3rd ODI: Shukri Conrad, who is the head coach of South Africa, has finally admitted that his use of the word 'grovel' sidelined their historic Test series win against India and that he had no bad intentions of using that word. He made these statements after the host won the third ODI by nine wickets in Vizag and also the series by 2-1.
The South African coach had used the controversial term on day 4 of the second Test when the Proteas were in a commanding position. While answering a query as to why they declared late on Day 4, he replied that he wanted to see the host grovel. This statement created a controversy owing to the word's history of racial abuse.
“On reflection, it was never my intention to cause any malice or appear disrespectful. Could I have chosen a better word? Yes, I could have been smarter,” Conrad told reporters in the post-match conference of the third ODI.
He then also revealed that he intended to just make the Indian batters bat for long in the middle and have a hard time. “It left it open to people putting their own context to it,” he said.
He also said that he will be careful with the words he uses in the future. “I’m going to be careful about what word I use now, because context gets attached to everything. It’s a pity, but maybe it did spice up the ODI series—and with India winning that, it makes the T20 series even more interesting,” he added.
The coach admitted that this controversy overshadowed their first Test win in India after 25 years. “With all the noise around that word, it took away the gloss of what was a really special win for our Test team. There was definitely no malice intended,” he further said.
He emphasised that humility is one of the core values of this team. “Being humble is a cornerstone of our Test team, and all our teams. The unfortunate thing is that the talk became about the coach. People shouldn’t even know who the coach is—it should be about the players. Hopefully, it’s put to bed now,” he concluded.
This 'grovel' comment wasn't taken well by the ex-Indian cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Anil Kumble, and they requested Conrad to rethink his statement. Post this controversy, he has finally realised his mistake as both teams will now gear up for the five-match T20I series beginning next week.