The infamous "grovel" comment made by South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad during the Guwahati Test continues to draw harsh criticism. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar called the comments "ill-advised". Conrad was questioned about Proteas' decision not to declare despite gaining a healthy lead. "We wanted them (India) to really grovel," he retorted.
Experts from India and South Africa were outraged by the comment. Speaking on the JioHotstar program Cricket Live on Sunday, Gavaskar stated that the choice of word was improper, particularly in light of the deep cricketing relations between the two countries and the important role India and the BCCI have played in South Africa's return to international cricket.
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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.
"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.
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The legendary Indian batsman added that although he isn't seeking an apology, he anticipates that Conrad will provide clarification, admitting that the comment went a little 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.
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