South African pace legend Dale Steyn has distanced himself from head coach Shukri Conrad's controversial "grovel" remark during the second Test against India, expressing visible disappointment and stating he wants "no association" with the phrase that has reignited debates on cricket's racial history ahead of Day 5 play. Speaking on Cricket Live on Wednesday, Steyn said, “I’m not on that boat, eh? I don’t like that. I almost don’t even want to make a comment about it,” adding that certain words carry an indelible stigma and were unnecessary given South Africa's commanding position after declaring with a 548-run lead. His rebuke adds to mounting pressure on Conrad, whose comment has drawn fire from Indian stalwarts like Anil Kumble and Cheteshwar Pujara for its insensitivity, even as the Proteas eye a historic series win—their first in India since 1999-2000.

Conrad's post-Day 4 remarks on Tuesday explained the tactical delay in declaration, with South Africa batting nearly 80 overs to exhaust India under the Guwahati sun before setting a daunting 549-run target. "We wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out of the game, and then say to them, 'Come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening,'" he said, explicitly nodding to Tony Greig's infamous 1976 pre-series taunt against the West Indies. Steyn acknowledged the tone might differ from Greig's but insisted, "That doesn’t matter. You just don’t use words like that. Toss it. You don’t have to say it. That’s disappointing. Sorry, Shukri, but that’s disappointing," highlighting how the term—implying abject submission—evokes painful colonial and apartheid-era legacies in cricket.

The phrase's origins trace to Greig, a white South African-born England captain, who declared ahead of the 1976 series, "If they’re down, they grovel, and I intend to make them grovel." Directed at a West Indies side of African descent amid racial tensions, it galvanized Clive Lloyd's team to a 3-0 thrashing, symbolizing resistance against subjugation. West Indies captain Lloyd later reflected, "The word ‘grovel’ is one guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any Black man," underscoring its visceral impact. Conrad's invocation, though prefaced as borrowed, has been slammed for similar undertones against India, a nation with its own colonial scars, with social media ablaze in outrage and calls for an apology.

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As India faces 90 overs to chase the improbable target on a pitch favoring spinners Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer, the row threatens to overshadow South Africa's spin-led dominance following their first-test triumph. Former India keeper Parthiv Patel echoed Steyn's sentiments, noting a "smirk" on Conrad's face and expecting an apology, while Aakash Chopra hoped it would fire up the dressing room. Cricket South Africa has remained silent, but Steyn's intervention—from one of the game's most respected voices—amplifies demands for accountability, reminding us that victory's grace lies in words unspoken amid cricket's fraught global tapestry.

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