"We Can Expose Them": South Africa Coach, Who Once Made 'Grovel' Remark, Drops Strong Take On India
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad ramped up the pressure on hosts India with his strong comments ahead of their highly-anticipated Super 8 encounter.
- South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad ramped up the pressure on India before their T20 World Cup Super 8 clash
- "They're going to be under a lot of pressure. Hopefully, we can expose them and make them vulnerable": Conrad
- Conrad had infamously used the term "grovel", which has racial undertones, towards India during a Test series
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad said on Friday that his side will be aiming to capitalize on the pressure on hosts India in their T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash on Sunday. India entered the tournament as firm favourites on home soil, and have so far won all of their matches, albeit with some hiccups. However, Conrad hoped that the Proteas would be able to "expose" some of India's weaknesses, given that the hosts would already be under immense scrutiny.
"There's so much scrutiny, especially (for) a side like India. They're going to be under a lot of pressure to make the semi-finals and obviously go on and make the finals as well. Hopefully, we can expose them and make them vulnerable under that pressure," Conrad said ahead of the game.
India will be no stranger to Conrad's strong comments on aiming to put the opposition under pressure. In November 2025, Conrad had expressed the same during their Test series victory over India in India, infamously using the term "grovel", which carries racial undertones.
"We wanted India to spend as much time on their feet out in the field. We wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out of the game and then say to them, 'well come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening'," Conrad had said during South Africa's 408-run Test victory over India in Guwahati.
Coming back to the T20 World Cup, Conrad admitted that both sides will be under pressure.
"Pressure is a big thing, but it's pressure both for them and us. I think we all talk about the pressure of playing against the top side, but we're not quite aware of what the pressures they are under," he said.
India take on South Africa in their first Super 8 contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.
South Africa Cricket Team
India Cricket Team