Not Pitch. Real Reason Behind Gautam Gambhir's Spat With Oval Curator Revealed: "He Shouted..."

NDTV

29-07-2025

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spilt the beans about head coach Gautam Gambhir's fiery confrontation with Lee Fortis, chief curator at The Oval, during the training session on Tuesday and declared that they did nothing wrong, which would have damaged the strip and confirmed they won't lodge any comment. The on-field verbal spats between the players extended to the off-field drama. Gambhir, visibly upset, was involved in a heated exchange with Fortis. The Indian head coach, on several occasions, pointed his finger at Fortis and even threw a couple of expletives.
Kotak was seen stepping in, taking Lee away and having a brief conversation with him. While Kotak appeared to diffuse the situation while explaining their stance, Gambhir, who stood near the nets, pointed his finger towards Lee and furiously said, "You don't tell us what to do."
According to ESPNcricinfo, Lee was unhappy with India using he majority of the main square for their training session. The Indian batting coach feels that pitch curators are "overprotective" and "possessive" about the square and the ground, but there is no need to be "arrogant" about something that is not an "antique piece".
"When we were looking at the pitch. They had sent a man to send a message for us to stay 2.5 m away from the pitch. This was a little surprising. We were wearing joggers. It was quite awkward. We know curators are a little overprotective and possessive about the square and the ground. What he said about the head coach is his opinion, and I don't want to comment," Kotak told reporters in the post-match press conference.
"There is nothing wrong with looking at a wicket wearing rubber spikes. Curators need to understand that the people they're talking to are highly skilled and intelligent. When you are working with highly skilled and intelligent people, if you sound a bit arrogant or if you come across like you know you can be protective, but at the end of the day, it's a cricket pitch, it's not some antique piece that you cannot touch because it is 200 years old and it will be broken," he added.
He went on to claim that Lee was shouting when the support staff was bringing the cooling box, which weighed around 10 kilos. The way Lee addressed the staff members didn't sit well with Gambhir, prompting him to confront the chief curator while defending his teammates, something he has done before with the Naveen-ul-Haq incident in the IPL being one of them.
"No, when he was bringing the cooling box there, he was sitting on the roller, he shouted and told the support staff not to take it there. Now the weight of that cooling box will be 10 kilos, according to me. It will not be more than that. And what we are doing there," he said.
"So, it is good to be a little possessive, and it is also good to be protective, but not that much. So, then Gautam just said that do not talk to the support staff like this, because the support staff, we all come under the head coach. Any head coach will say that you cannot shout from there and say this," he added.
Kotak claimed that the build-up to the incident began when they were inspecting the crease and were told to stand 2.5 meters away from the crease. Despite the fiasco, he confirmed that India won't push for a complaint against Lee.
"So, it was very normal. Then he came there, and he was saying, I think it got built up from the wicket when we were watching. And to be very, very honest, if you want me to be very honest, before coming to Oval, most of the team knows that the curator is not the easiest person to get on with. And I am sure you also would be aware of it. So, that gives a lot of answers. No, I do not think there is any point in complaining," he said.
"I felt when we were looking at the wicket, when the coaches stood near it, he (Fortis) sent someone who told us to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch. But it was a very strange way of saying you go and stand two and a half metres away from here. So, I think that is what started because Gautam is someone who does not even speak unnecessary things. He does not talk to anyone," he added.
While Kotak gave a detailed explanation of the situation, Lee refrained from commenting on the heated exchange. While speaking to the reporters, he classified Gambhir as a "touchy guy" and remained tight-lipped about the rest of the matter.
"It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gautam Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It's okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide," he said while speaking to reporters.
As the gruelling Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy heads towards the final Test at The Oval, England are in a 2-1 lead after the fourth contest in Manchester ended in a draw. India will look to return home on a high, as the highly anticipated fixture begins on Thursday.