Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticised South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad for his controversial "grovel" remark made during last week’s press conference in Guwahati, after the visitors inflicted a humiliating 2-0 whitewash in the Test series. Calling the comment "ill-advised," Gavaskar said Conrad should acknowledge the remark and make amends.
South Africa handed India their second home whitewash in 12 months. During the second Test at the Barsapara Stadium, Conrad was asked why the Proteas did not enforce the follow-on despite a commanding 288-run lead in the first innings. He responded, “We wanted them (India) to really grovel.”
The remark sparked outrage among experts from both India and South Africa. Speaking on the JioHotstar show Cricket Live on Sunday, Gavaskar said the choice of words was inappropriate, especially considering the significant role India and the BCCI have played in South Africa’s return to international cricket, and the deep cricketing ties the two nations share.
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"You could say it was an ill-advised use of the word. We need to look back at South Africa's re-entry into international cricket. It was the Indian Cricket Board that proposed South Africa's readmission after more than 20 years of isolation, and their first international match on return was played in India," the former India batter said.
{{/usCountry}}"You could say it was an ill-advised use of the word. We need to look back at South Africa's re-entry into international cricket. It was the Indian Cricket Board that proposed South Africa's readmission after more than 20 years of isolation, and their first international match on return was played in India," the former India batter said.
{{/usCountry}}"When you consider the current landscape of South African cricket, especially the SA20, five out of the six franchises are Indian-owned. These owners are significantly supporting South African players--not just the international stars who are well taken care of, but the fringe players as well--giving them opportunities to build strong careers," Gavaskar said.
The India batting legend further said that while he isn’t looking for an apology, he expects Conrad to offer clarity in his next press conference, acknowledging that the remark went a bit too far.
"Indian and South African cricket have shared a positive, collaborative relationship for decades. Across all the years and encounters between the two teams, the cricket has always been competitive and tough, but never hostile. I have witnessed nearly every India-South Africa contest, and it has always been hard, fair cricket. Nothing beyond that. So yes, it may have been an ill-advised remark--wrong time, wrong place," Gavaskar said.
"I hope that in his next media interaction, he addresses it. I don't think an apology is necessary; I personally don't believe in apologies. But acknowledging it and making up for it would be accepted by everyone. These things happen. In the heat of the moment, you can get carried away and say something that goes a bit over the top. Given the strong connection between Indian and South African cricket over the last 30 years, I think he can simply clarify that he got a bit carried away," he concluded.