Oval Curator Asks Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill To Move Away From Pitch Yet Again Day After Row. Coach Does This

NDTV

4 days ago

Two days ahead of the series-deciding 5th India vs England Test, a huge row brewed between the Indian camp and the curator of The Oval in London. During India's practice session on Tuesday, Gambhir had a fierce altercation with Lee Fortis regarding the practice facilities. As he stepped away, the Indian head coach animatedly pointed a finger and mouthed a couple of words. India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, was seen stepping in, taking Lee away and having a brief conversation with him.
Interestingly, on Wednesday too, the curator approached the trio of Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill and Sitanshu Kotak. They were standing near a pitch. In a video posted by Sandipan Banerjee, whose X Bio reads 'Cricket Scribe l Traveller', Fortis can be seen indicating to the Indian trio to move away. Gambhir did not even look at him as the three moved a bit to stand on one end of the pitch.
When Lee Fortis met Gautam Gambhir again… #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/rw9JLgqD8N
— Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) July 30, 2025
On Tursday, 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."
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate joined Kotak during his conversation with Lee, while Gambhir continued to make his point from the other end. Lee said a couple of words to Gambhir before eventually walking away from the scene.
Lee was quizzed about the entire situation, but he chose to remain tight-lipped while speaking to the reporters and said, "It's not my job to be happy with him. I don't know, you have to ask him."
Kotak, along with a couple of members of the Indian management, were seen trying to explain the situation to an English official. Kotak was the one who spoke for the majority of the period.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference of the final Test, Gill said, "I don't know what exactly happened yesterday and why the pitch curator did what he did. We have played four matches, and no one tried to stop us. Everyone has played so much cricket, and the coaches and the captain have gone and seen the wicket so many times. I don't know what the fuss was all about."
He further explained that it's common for captains and coaches to inspect the pitch from close quarters, a normal part of preparation, as long as the person is either barefoot or wearing rubber spikes.