South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad explained that the Proteas batted so long on Day 4 of the second Test match because he wanted his side to make India "grovel" on the fourth day by setting them the mammoth 549-run target that the embattled hosts are currently chasing to save the second Test and an imminent series whitewash.
Conrad on South Africa's batting in 2nd Test
Conrad’s comment might create some tension in what has otherwise been a friendly series. However, he clarified that he was “borrowing a phrase” from the famous interview given by the late England captain Tony Greig before the 1976 series against Clive Lloyd’s West Indies, a series England went on to lose 0–3.
"We wanted India to spend as much time on their feet out in the field. We wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game and then say to them well come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening," Conrad literally rubbed it in at the post-play press conference when asked why South Africa batted for nearly 80 overs when they had already acquired a sizeable lead.
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What does grovel mean?
To "grovel" means to lie or crawl on the ground with your face down, showing complete submission. Tony Greig, who was of white South African background, had used this word when talking about Caribbean players, referring to their painful history of slavery and the effects of apartheid in South Africa.
India vs South Africa 2nd Test
South Africa are on the verge of a series whitewash on Indian soil as the hosts already won the first Test in Kolkata and India now need 522 runs on the last day to win the second Test match.