India head coach Gautam Gambhir found himself in a heated altercation with Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis on Tuesday. The incident occurred during Team India's optional practice session ahead of the fifth Test against England which is set to commence from July 31. Fortis wasn't happy with Gambhir for not staying 2.5m away from the pitch and doing a close inspection. As argument between the two developed, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak quickly intervened and had a brief conversation with Fortis.
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Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel gave his take on the matter and backed Gambhir, stating that Fortis' frustration got the better of him and led to him getting outraged for no big reason.
Parthiv showed support towards Gambhir on the matter
"I don't think Gautam Gambhir did anything wrong. The way the pitch curator behaved was just a sign of frustration. Maybe England was thinking they were going to win the series 5-0 and send India back, but this is not happening at all. So we can see all the frustration," Parthiv told ANI.
Earlier, Kotak had revealed that it was the pitch curator's behaviour twoards the bIndian support stafff that left Gambhir furious and later led to the altercation. The batting coach further argued that that even though it is understandable that the pitch needs to be protected, there is no reason why the team should stand far away from it.
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“When we were looking at pitch, they asked us to stand 2.5m away. We were wearing joggers. It was very odd. There is nothing wrong with looking at wicket wearing rubber spikes. Curators should understand they're dealing with highly qualified personnel. This is a pitch and it's understandable that they're protective about it but it's not some antique piece. They were talking about growing some grass beside the main pitch. I don't know how much grass they will grow in these two days.,” Kotak told the reporters.
"Curator yelled at support staff when they were getting ice box. Gambhir objected at that. The way he spoke irked Gambhir. Everyone knows curator at The Oval is not the easiest person to deal with," he added.
Meanwhile, India head into the fifth Test, trailing England by 2-1 in the series. The draw in the previous match at Old Trafford saw the visitors lose out on all their chances of triumphing the series, however they still can manage to level it up if they record a victory at The Oval. But, the Three Lions will definitely be the favourites to lift the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as even a draw in the fifth Test will see them win the series.
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