South Africa had a definite plan to torment India in the ongoing Test in Guwahati. In head coach Shukri Conrad’s words, they wanted the hosts to “grovel”.
“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 of the game and then say to them, ‘well come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening’,” Conrad, addressing the media conference after Tuesday’s play, said.
To decode that in figures, South Africa batted for 70-odd overs on Tuesday, the fourth day of the match, frustrating the Indians before declaring at 260/5, thereby imposing a near-impossible 549-run target, and then asked the hosts to bat in the sunset hours. India lost both their openers to be 27/2 at Stumps.
But “grovel” is a loaded term, especially in cricket. Before the 1976 home series against Clive Lloyd’s West Indies, then England skipper Tony Greig had belittled the Caribbean team’s merit in an interview to BBC, saying: “I’m not really sure they’re as good as everyone thinks.
“These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they’re down, they grovel, and I intend... to make them grovel.”
Coming from a white South Africa (by birth), the term “grovel” was considered highly inflammatory with racist overtones. It charged up the West Indies players and they embarrassed England 3-0 in the series.
Conrad has tried to dilute the impact of the word by saying he was merely stealing a phrase, but even then, his use of the word is debatable.
Will it have the same effect on the Indians as it had on the Caribbean players?
Well, while India can’t win the series anymore, they can still avoid a Proteas sweep. If they can at least draw this Test, it would be honourable for them.