The controversy arose after Day 4 of the second Test, when Conrad explained why South Africa delayed declaring their second innings. He said the team wanted India to ‘really crawl’, a phrase borrowed from former England captain Tony Greig’s infamous 1976 comment highlighted in the West Indies.
Conrad’s choice of words immediately drew criticism from both former Indian and South African players. Meanwhile, Steyn expressed visible discomfort and disappointment with Conrad’s choice of words.
“I’m not on that boat, are I? I don’t like that. I almost don’t even want to comment on it. There are certain things you just don’t say. There’s a stigma attached to it. It just wasn’t necessary. South Africa was in such a dominant position – saying nothing is enough. I’m just not on that boat.” He doubled down on why the sentence was inappropriate, regardless of tone or intent. “Maybe I’m picking up on his tone now – it’s not as harsh as Tony Greig’s. But that doesn’t matter. You just don’t use words like that. Throw it away. You don’t have to say it. That’s disappointing. Sorry, Shukri, but that’s disappointing,” Steyn said.
Anil Kumble and Cheteshwar Pujara also criticized the comment
Steyn argued that the word ‘grovel’, regardless of tone or intent, should have no place in modern cricket. Importantly, he also noted that South Africa was already in a dominant position, making such a provocation unnecessary.
Moreover, former India captain Anil Kumble and veteran Cheteshwar Pujara also criticized the comment, calling it disrespectful, especially coming from a team on the verge of a dominant series win. On the field, India suffered the worst home Test defeat in history. Their 408-point loss dashed their World Test Championship hopes, leaving them fifth on the points table.
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