Proteas coach Shukri Conrad says he could have chosen a better word than “grovel” when explaining tactics after day four of the second Test against India in Guwahati.

Conrad told reporters that the Proteas delayed their declaration because conditions late in the day would favour their quicks and they wanted India to spend as much time as possible in the field before facing a massive target.

“We looked at how best to use the new ball in the morning,” he said. “When the shadows come across the wicket in the evening, there’s something in it for the fast bowlers, so we didn’t want to declare too early. And obviously, we wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet as possible … we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase.”

ALSO: McKenzie hails Conrad-Bavuma combo

Speaking to the media on Saturday for the first time since the remark, Conrad stopped short of offering an apology but acknowledged that his phrasing was ill-considered.

“On reflection, it was never my intention to cause any malice or be disrespectful,” he said after South Africa’s 2-1 ODI series defeat in Visakhapatnam. “I could have chosen a better word because it left room for people to attach their own context to it.

“The only thing I meant was that we wanted to make India’s time in the field tough. I’ve got to be careful what word I use now because context can be attached to anything.”

Photo: Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images