Conrad's charm will serve South Africa well in India

Shukri Conrad is a charmer, blessed with a quick and inclusive sense of humour and apparently at ease in any gathering. During a press conference at Eden Gardens, the first question was how his team might handle the challenge of playing in Indian conditions against spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar.

Conrad's answer was a snappily delivered question: "Are they all playing?" The roomful of reporters laughed heartily.

A man of flinty intelligence, Conrad knew better than to rail at the hackneyed notion that South Africa's batters are clumsy against spin. Instead, he made a joke, and it landed perfectly.

Much of the rest of his answers were peppered with phrases like "an iconic venue like Eden Gardens", "our biggest challenge", "a mouth-watering contest", and "I compare this series and this match to that WTC final". He also noted, "India have got a new bunch of superstars, they've got new leaders. I think Shubman Gill is a great leader for them."

Conrad has had a long and successful coaching career, crowned by South Africa beating Australia in the WTC final at Lord's in June. That sets him apart from all predecessors except Bob Woolmer. But Conrad has something more valuable: a touch of Mike Brearley's degree in people, warmth, confidence, and a knack for deflecting dull questions with sparky answers.

Unlike recent predecessors—Mark Boucher, who was all about discipline and directness, and Rob Walter, a master plotter and planner—Conrad is also likeable, a favourite uncle. Players want to play for him, and he makes going to work fun and rewarding. He's happy to share the limelight.

When asked what his players discussed with Sourav Ganguly, Conrad replied with another question: "The SA20, maybe? I think he's the boss at Pretoria Capitals and they broke the bank on Dewald Brevis. Keshav might be there as well. An icon like Sourav, if he's around you want to glean whatever you can from the great man. It was just a nice catch-up with some of the guys that he's going to work with in a month's time."

He was also happy to have Temba Bavuma back from a calf injury that kept him out of the drawn Test series in Pakistan. "He's our best player, it's as simple as that," Conrad said. "Which makes winning a Test in Pakistan so much better because we were able to do it without our best player. The calmness he brings to the batting unit, his leadership, his quiet demeanour—we get a lot of feel-good from that, and he certainly brings a lot of confidence."

Pre-series press conferences often produce marketing gumph, with little context because the narrative has yet to begin. Conrad knows this better than most, and he enjoys talking to the press. He's good at it, and saying nice things about the opposition helps soften the blows when the going gets tough.

Along with games of cricket, Conrad wins friends and influences people—skills that will serve him well in a culture as focused on itself as India's.