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The South Africa tour of India has largely revolved around the intense on-field cricket battle, with discussions focused on the performances of both teams. However, one incident off the field raised eyebrows, when South Africa‘s head coach, Shukri Conrad, caused a stir in a Guwahati Test press conference by expressing his desire for the Indian team to “grovel.” In a new development, a video making the rounds on social media claimed that Virat Kohli refused to shake hands with Conrad following India’s win in the first ODI in Ranchi.

The footage starts with Kohli going past Conrad, but there is no indication of him extending his hand to the South African coach. Kohli does go on to shake hands with the next two South African players in line before the video ends. Given the video’s brief length, it remains unclear whether Kohli had already greeted Conrad.

What’s behind the ‘Grovel’ controversy involving Shukri Conrad?

The controversy began when Conrad, after his team’s dominant display in the Guwahati Test against India, commented that they purposely extended their batting to make the Indian players “grovel.”

The comment drew considerable criticism because the term “grovel” carries strong negative racial and historical implications. It was notably used in 1976 by Tony Greig, the then-England captain (a white South African), when he spoke about his intention to humiliate the West Indies team.

“We carefully planned how to make the best use of the new ball, as we wanted it to remain relatively hard in the morning. We also noticed that when the shadows cover the wicket in the evening, it offers something for the fast bowlers. Therefore, we were keen to avoid declaring too soon and losing that advantage,” he had said.

“And of course, we wanted the Indians to be out in the field for as long as possible. We aimed to wear them down, bat them completely out of the game, and then challenge them to survive on the final day and an hour in the evening. So far, everything’s going according to plan, but we know they won’t give up easily; we’ll need to be at our best tomorrow morning,” he added.