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]Temba Bavuma Breaks Silence on ‘Grovel’ Controversy, Warns India Over Players ‘Crossing the Line’
by K D Mishra
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said that head coach Shukri Conrad will think again about his controversial comment. Without naming anyone, Bavuma also said that some players during the recent two-match Test series against India went “over the line.”
Conrad’s remark became a big issue because he had said that South Africa delayed their second-innings declaration on Day 4 of the 2nd Test as they wanted India to “grovel.” This word has a sensitive history in cricket, so the comment created controversy.
In 1976, when the West Indies team came to England for a Test series as the clear favourites, England captain Tony Greig said in a pre-series interview that he wanted to make the West Indies “grovel”.
But the West Indies answered on the field and crushed England 5-0, making Greig regret his words. After South Africa’s huge 408-run win in Guwahati to seal a 2-0 series win, Temba Bavuma reacted to coach Shukri Conrad’s remark.
Bavuma said,
“ I heard the coach’s comments only this morning. I was fully focused on the match, so I couldn’t talk to him earlier. Shukri is almost 60 years old, so I’m sure he will think again about what he said.”
