Follow UsEarlier today (November 26), South Africa completed a record win in Guwahati to win their first Test series in India in 25 years, but the match had been sealed for good by stumps on day four. At the end of the fourth day, though, what ended up hogging the limelight was the post-day comments made by South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad, who stated that his side batted till the last session to make the Indian players ‘grovel’.
That comment created an uproar on social media, and it did not go down well with both fans and former players, who believed that the word that was used was both offensive and insensitive.
At the post-match press conference today, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma was asked about Conrad’s comments. Bavuma did not condone Conrad’s comments, but was quick to point out ‘certain players’ had already crossed the line in the series. The Proteas captain was indirectly referring to Jasprit Bumrah, who in the first Test in Kolkata, made a derogatory remark, calling Bavuma ‘bauna’ (slur word for a short person) while the latter was batting.
"Comments made by coach came to me this morning. I was focused on game and didn't have a chance to speak to him. Shukri is close to 60 years old and he will have a look at his comments," Bavuma said today.
"But in this series, certain guys have also crossed the line. Not saying coach crossed the line, but he will surely think about it."
The comments from Bumrah came on the very first day of the series, with India on top thanks to a double-strike from the man himself. Ultimately, it was Bavuma and South Africa who ended up having the last laugh both in Kolkata and in the series.