A word used by South Africa coach Shukri Conrad has heated up the atmosphere amid the India-South Africa Test series. He had said after the fourth day’s play that he wanted the Indian team to “grove”, i.e. fight back. This word has been the center of controversy in the history of cricket, so there has been an immediate reaction to this statement.
Let us tell you that these are the same words which former England captain Tony Greig had said against the West Indies in 1976, after which the Caribbean team responded very strongly and won the series 3-0. In such a situation, Conrad’s use of it again seems wrong and insensitive to many veterans.
While discussing this statement in the Star Sports show, Parthiv Patel has clearly expressed his displeasure. He says that Conrad knew very well what he was saying and what kind of message these words convey. Patel said such words were against the spirit of the game and he hoped Conrad would apologise.
Parthiv Patel said, “Maybe the South African coach may not know the history of this word, but I don’t think so. He even gave a slight smile while saying it. It was not respectful at all for Team India. There should be a tough fight in the match, but such language has no meaning.” He further said that the Indian team should just say that South Africa achieved this position by playing good cricket, but such comments were not needed.
It is noteworthy that after this comment, the host broadcaster also took the opinion of Anil Kumble, Cheteshwar Pujara and Aakash Chopra, all of whom called it a word used in the wrong context. Sports experts believe that no matter how tough the competition is between two teams, it is important to take care of both respect and language, especially when a word has such a sensitive past.
Now the focus will be on whether Conrad clarifies his statement or apologizes, because the anger of the former Indian players has clearly come to the fore.