South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has spoken out about the “unsavoury” comments made during his team’s recent tour of India. He acknowledged that Proteas coach Shukri Conrad should have refrained from making the infamous “grovel” reference and revealed that he received an apology from Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for an offensive remark.
Before losing both of the white-ball rubbers, South Africa ended a 25-year wait to win in the longest format in India on a generally stress-free tour that included two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20 Internationals.
“I know from my side there was an incident where they said something in their language about me. At the end of the day two senior players, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, came and apologised,” Bavuma said in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
“When the apology was made, I was in the dark about what it was about, I hadn’t heard it at the time and I needed to check in with our media manager about it,” he added, referring to a moment when Bumrah and Pant referred him “Bauna” during the first Test in Kolkata; many saw this as a jab at Bavuma’s stature.
“What happens on the field, stays on the field but you don’t forget what is said. You use it as fuel and motivation, but there are no grudges per se.”
Conrad’s remark from the second Test at Guwahati was then discussed by Bavuma. When Conrad said that the visitors wanted to make the Indian team cringe, it was compared to the racist remarks made by former England captain Tony Greig during the series against the West Indies.
Conrad eventually apologized, and Bavuma stated that even he thought his typically cool-headed coach should have used better words.
“Shukri also took some heat for his “grovel” remark. I was put under pressure by the media on that side, asking me to clarify the comments that were made. I thought Shukri was the man best positioned to give context to it all,” Bavuma said.
“The first time I heard about it, it had that unsavoury taste to it, but I think it just reminded me how tough and competitive the Test series was and what it meant to certain individuals within the group.
“Shukri spoke after the ODI series and put that issue to bed. In hindsight, he said he could have chosen a better word and I agree with him,” he added.
According to Bavuma, his squad faced exactly what he had anticipated—a tough series in India.
“You don’t want to admit it as such but there are scars that still kind of live there. You just hope that you don’t reopen those wounds or relive those moments. There was that from a mental point of view, but also, with past experience, you know how tough it’s going to be,” he said.
