Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad should not have used a word like ‘grovel’ when his team are on the verge of winning a Test series in India.
Speaking on Star Sports, Kumble said he did not expect such language from the South African camp.
“There’s history attached to this,” he said. “Fifty years ago, an England captain used the same phrase against the great West Indies side, and we all know what followed. South Africa have most likely won the series, but when you’re on top, your choice of words matters. Humility is most important at such times. I certainly didn’t expect this from the coach or the support staff. When you’re winning, the first thing is to stay humble, not say something like this at a press conference.”
After winning the first Test by 30 runs at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the South African team are on the verge of a series clean sweep. Having taken a big lead, the visitors could easily have made India follow on, as they led by 288 runs, but instead they opted to bat again to set a target of 549.
Conrad sent shockwaves when he used the word ‘grovel’ at the press conference after the end of play on day four in Guwahati.
“We wanted India to spend as much time on their feet out in the field,” he told reporters in Guwahati. “We wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out of the game and then say to them, well, come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.”
At the time of writing, South Africa are five wickets away from winning the game.
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