Sunil Gavaskar reminds Shukri Conrad of South Africa’s dark cricket history after ‘grovel’ remark

Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar criticized South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad for his recent “grovel” comment about Team India. The former India captain felt the comment crossed a line and should not have been made in the first place, adding that Conrad should address the issue in his next interaction.

India suffered their second home whitewash in a year. During the second Test in Guwahati, Conrad made a controversial comment while explaining why his team chose not to enforce the follow-on despite holding a massive 288-run first-innings lead. Conrad said that the Proteas wanted India “to really grovel.”

It Was an Ill-Advised Use of the Word - Sunil Gavaskar Slams Shukri Conrad for ‘Grovel’ Remark

Speaking on the JioHotstar show Cricket Live on Sunday, Sunil Gavaskar said that India played a key role in helping South Africa return to international cricket decades ago. He also pointed out that South Africa’s first international match after their return was played in India.

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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.

Ill-Advised Remark--Wrong Time, Wrong Place - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said that matches between the two nations have always been intense. Gavaskar stated that Shukri Conrad’s recent remark was poorly timed and a poor choice of words that did not reflect the usual spirit shared by the two teams.

"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 continued.

I Personally Don’t Believe in Apologies - Sunil Gavaskar

The Indian batting legend said that he isn’t seeking an apology from Shukri Conrad but added that the coach should address his remark in his next media interaction. He stated that people often get carried away in the heat of the moment and sometimes say things that go beyond what they intended.

"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," Gavaskar opined.

"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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