Gautam Gambhir's Tense Exchange with Oval Curator Ahead of Final Test
Heated Confrontation at The Oval
On Tuesday, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, found himself in a tense verbal exchange with Lee Fortis, the chief curator at The Oval. Gambhir was heard asserting, "You don’t dictate what we should do," while gesturing towards the ground staff.
The venue is set to host the fifth and final Test match between India and England starting Thursday. The Indian squad has been in high spirits following their impressive comeback to draw the fourth Test in Manchester just two days prior.
Footage from the training session, which has since gone viral on social media, captured Gambhir's frustration as he confronted the curator. India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, stepped in to help defuse the situation.
The disagreement escalated when Fortis mentioned, "I will have to report this," to which Gambhir retorted, "Feel free to report whatever you wish."
Kotak then took Fortis aside, assuring him, "We won’t damage anything."
Other members of the Indian support staff, including bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, were seen closely observing the exchange.
While the exact cause of the dispute remains unclear, it appeared to revolve around the practice pitch conditions.
Gambhir reiterated to Fortis that he should not be instructing the team, stating, "You can’t tell us what to do. You’re just one of the groundsmen, nothing more," as captured in the video.
After the confrontation, both Gambhir and Fortis went their separate ways, with Gambhir returning to supervise the net practice.
Later, as Fortis walked from the field to his room, he remarked, "It’s a big game, and he (Gambhir) is a bit touchy."
In the meantime, Sai Sudharsan, who scored a half-century and a duck in the previous Test, was the first to arrive for practice, joined by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who was also seen training hard.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was observed bowling under Morkel's watchful eye.