Home
Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar called on South Africa’s head coach Shukri Conrad to acknowledge and correct the “grovel” comment he made during the second Test between India and South Africa. Gavaskar felt the remark was unnecessary and said it didn’t reflect well on the situation.
India vs South Africa Test series
South Africa whitewashed the Test series 2–0. In the second Test in Guwahati, they were ahead by 288 runs in the first innings and could have enforced the follow-on, but chose to bat again. When asked why, Conrad replied, “We wanted them (India) to really grovel,” which sparked criticism.
Sunil Gavaskar for South Africa coach
Speaking on JioHotstar’s Cricket Live, Gavaskar explained why the comment bothered him. He said the Indian Cricket Board had played an important part in helping South Africa return to international cricket after years of isolation. He also pointed out that in modern cricket, Indian involvement is even stronger, especially through the SA20 league, where five of the six teams are owned by Indian groups. Because of this close relationship, he felt the coach should have chosen his words more carefully.
"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.
ALSO READ: BCCI clears the air on talks around Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Test retirement u-turn
Gavaskar on India and South Africa cricketing relationship
Gavaskar further stated that India and South Africa ave long shared a competitive but respectful cricketing relationship, with no history of hostility. He said an apology isn't needed, but a simple clarification acknowledging the remark went too far would be enough, given the strong ties between the two cricketing nations.
"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.
India vs South Africa white ball series
After losing the Test series, Team India is facing South Africa for the white ball series, including a three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20I.
ADVERTISEMENT
