Watch: Virat Kohli gives a cold shoulder to SA coach Shukri Conrad; refuses handshake after Ranchi ODI

Virat Kohli made headlines in India's victory over South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi, not only for his match-winning century, but also for something extremely unique.

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Kohli's 135 runs, combined with half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, helped India score 349/8 in 50 overs. The score was too much for South Africa, who rebounded from 11/3 with half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, and Marco Jansen but finished 17 runs short of the mark.

Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for his 52nd ODI century. However, a video has surfaced showing Kohli disregarding South Africa coach Shukri Conrad at the post-match handshakes.

The incident follows the controversy sparked by Conrad during a press conference at the Guwahati Test, where he remarked that he wanted the Indian team to “grovel.” His comment came in response to a query about South Africa’s delayed second-innings declaration.

In the circulating video, Kohli can be seen approaching Conrad, but there is no visible attempt from the India star to extend a handshake towards the South Africa coach.

Before the camera fades off, Kohli is seen shaking hands with the next two South African players in the line. However, the footage is too brief to definitely establish if he had already greeted Conrad before to the moment filmed.

https://twitter.com/crickohlic/status/1995708041090527236

The word “grovel” holds profound racial and historical implications in cricket. Tony Greig, the captain of England at the time and a white South African, notably used it in 1976 when he threatened to make the West Indies squad "grovel." This statement has since come to represent the prejudices and tensions of the time.

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