‘I remember telling Rahul Dravid I can’t believe Sachin Tendulkar was better than Virat Kohli’

Up against it: Conrad will not have a full-strength squad in New Zealand, with many first-team players set to feature in the SA20 back home. But he believes the Proteas ‘might surprise a few people there’. | Photo credit: Cricket South Africa / Gallo Images

Shukri Conrad took over as head coach of South Africa’s Test side at a challenging time last January. The team had lost both its previous away series and the future wasn’t looking great, with the Proteas scheduled to play significantly fewer Tests than India, Australia and England. He, however, guided South Africa to wins in his first three Tests. A few days after his boys thrashed India by an innings and 32 runs at Centurion, he sat down for an interview with The Hindu at Cape Town’s Newlands, his home ground and one of cricket’s prettiest venues. Excerpts:

The victory at Centurion came at a time when there has been a lot of talk about the future of Test cricket in South Africa. We can already see the impact of SA20…

I don’t think Test cricket in South Africa is in trouble when I speak from a player’s point of view. Every player in that changeroom wants to play Test cricket. We also understand that if we had the resources that India, England or Australia have, we would play more Test matches. My job is to ensure we play well whenever we do play Tests.

Isn’t it a pity that a strong side like South Africa, which has played some great Tests since its readmission into the sport and has produced several outstanding players, is not getting enough opportunities?

We have always been a great side. But every time we do play, we have an opportunity to show the world that we should be playing more. Hopefully the next couple of cycles of the World Test Championship will be different. Test cricket is still hugely important for us as a team, as a country.

Now there is this situation of you having to play a Test series in New Zealand with just seven capped players, as most of your best eleven are contracted to feature in the SA20.

Everybody is blaming everybody in the whole scenario. We understand as cricketers that the SA20 league is hugely important. It brings in the revenue, so that we can have more Test cricket in the future. If SA20 wasn’t there then we probably wouldn’t have Test cricket in South Africa.

But there could be a silver lining. Somebody could kick-start a career over there in New Zealand.

Like David Bedingham and Nandre Burger did here against India…

Exactly. We will worry about New Zealand when we board the flight. And we might surprise a few people there.

You have seen, and been part of, the transformational phase of cricket in South Africa; you have played on either side of apartheid.

Yes, I have had a taste of a little bit of everything. I played in, let us call, the white side. And I played in the non-white side. And then I was involved when unity came alongside. A little bit of everything. I have seen it all.

How has the journey as a coach been?

I have done a lot of things. I started my coaching journey 20-odd years ago. And there were times when I felt I should have been the national coach. You do the hard yards and then eventually when it happens, you are like, it is all about timing. I think if I had gotten it 10 years ago, I might not have been as well prepared. And yet when you walk in here, sometimes I feel, am I ready for this?

It is like players have dreams to realise. I think my dream as a coach has been realised as well. And to come back and be involved in an iconic Test match like the New Year’s Test at Newlands. That is what we all dream of. I remember as a kid, there used to be an old scoreboard across the way where that new building is. As a kid, I used to work in the scoreboard, you know. Yeah, to come back here, I coached here for five years. I coached the provincial team.

So do you recall the players from that time, when you did the scoring?

Well, it is like we are going back to the Clive Rices and the Peter Kirstens and the Allan Lambs. You know, we all had our heroes. Peter Kirsten was the hero of Newlands. There wasn’t international cricket at the time. But over the New Year, it used to be the big North versus South match, Western Province and Transvaal at the time. And then, obviously, when we got Test cricket here, I remember coming here one day and watching Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar playing those innings…

Their partnership of 222 after coming together at 58 for five in 1996-97 — it was beautiful batting from both ends…

Yes, it was. I sat in the Railway Stand there and I watched it and I said to myself, I don’t think I will see anything better. This ground has not seen anything better. Neither have I.

Looking with your coach’s eyes, which cricketers have impressed you the most?

I remember chatting to Rahul Dravid about it, and I said, I cannot believe that Sachin Tendulkar was better than Virat Kohli. And he said to me, look, Sachin stays the master, Virat is great.

I think Kohli is the best batter that I have ever seen. And I have seen Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis.

What sets Kohli apart?

Everything about him. He is the greatest ever. You watch him go about his business; his attitude, everything. The intensity he plays with and his adaptability. If you wanted to model your game on someone, you might as well choose Kohli.

I also admired the great West Indies team led by Clive Lloyd. And the West Indies actually had a massive effect on our domestic game because you had Desmond Haynes coming here to play. Franklyn Stephenson played a massive role. As did Malcolm Marshall, in the development of Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener. Ezra Moseley played here. Eldine Baptiste. A lot of players talk about the role that he played in Eastern Province. Ashwell Prince speaks highly of Eldine and how he assisted in his development.

Are you happy with the way domestic cricket is run in South Africa?

I think we need to play more First Class cricket. We are seeing more South Africa-A tours.

India has benefited from its ‘A’ tours and Dravid has played a big role…

I remember in 2017 when I was coaching the South Africa-A side, Rahul came here as the India-A coach. And that’s when we met for the first time. I remember having dinner with him one night. You wouldn’t come across a nicer man in cricket.