South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad expressed his displeasure after the fourth day as he said his team wanted to make India “serious” during the second Test in Guwahati on Tuesday, November 25. Former India opener Aakash Chopra condemned the comments on social media and encouraged India to respond on the field.
South Africa batted for more than 80 overs before declaring with a lead of 548 runs. Questions were raised about his decision to continue batting, especially when the surface had not deteriorated much. The innings ended when Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Tristan Stubbs. The visiting team declared the innings with only a few overs remaining in the day.
Notably, the call proved justified as India slumped to two early defeats before stumps. They were left with an almost impossible target of 522 runs to try to win or save the Test on the final day.
We wanted them to really step up – Shukri Conrad
Shukri Conrad revealed that South Africa’s plan was to keep India on the field for as long as possible and tire them out before the final innings. He said that the visitors wanted to “eliminate India from the competition” and then challenge the hosts to survive the final session of the fourth day and the entire final day.
Conrad said in the press conference, “We wanted India to spend as much time on their feet in the field as possible. We wanted them to really groan, steal a phrase, take them completely out of the game and then tell them to come well and stay for the last day and an hour this evening.”
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad’s ‘growl’ remarks spark outrage
The head coach has transformed the South Africa Test team since taking over in January 2023. Notably, the team won the World Test Championship and is close to winning its first Test series in India since 2000.
However, his comment that his team wanted to make the opposition “serious” took many by surprise. The term has a great history in cricket and is linked to an ugly episode from the past.
The term became notorious during the 1976 England–West Indies series. Before the Test began, England captain Tony Greig said he wanted the West Indies to be “fantastic”.
Many West Indies players and supporters accused him of racism and Clive Lloyd later said that the comment insulted the entire Caribbean. West Indies won the five-match series 3–0 and fans ran onto the field to jeer Greig.
I hope everyone in the Indian dressing room… – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra criticized Shukri Conrad after he used the word “growl” to describe his team’s intentions. Chopra urged that the Indian dressing room be reminded of its historical context and the controversy that arose the last time it was used in cricket.
Chopra wrote on
‘We wanted to make India stronger’ – South African coach after the end of the fourth day.
I hope everyone in the Indian dressing room has understood what it actually means and been given a little history lesson about when was the last time anyone used it in cricket. And what happened next…– Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 26 November 2025
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