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Team India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shared details of what led to the heated altercation between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis, pitch curator at The Oval, ahead of the fifth Test against England, which gets underway on Thursday, July 31. Gambhir was seen losing his cool and getting into an ugly spat with Fortis during India's first practice session at The Oval on Tuesday.
In clips of the incident that went viral on social media, Gambhir and Fortis were seen exchanging words during a heated discussion. Kotak had to intervene and separate the duo, taking Fortis aside to have a word with him. However, the Indian head coach continued to argue with the pitch curator and gave him an earful from a distance.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the 5th Test, India's batting coach Kotak revealed that pitch curator Fortis yelled at the Indian team's support staff and spoke poorly, which irked Gambhir. Kotak also revealed that the Indian support staff members were asked to stay 2.5 metres away when they went to take a look at the pitch, despite wearing normal rubber shoes, which wouldn't have hampered the pitch.
"The curator yelled at the support staff when they were getting the ice box. Gambhir objected to that. The way he spoke irked Gambhir. Everyone knows the curator at The Oval is not the easiest person to deal with. India will not lodge any official complaint,” Kotak said in the pre-match press conference.
"When we were looking at the pitch. They had sent a man to send a message for us to stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch. This was a little surprising. We were wearing joggers. It was quite awkward. 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," added the Indian batting coach.
Fortis, the pitch curator at The Oval, also presented his version of the incident when he spoke to a few reporters who were present at the ground at the time. The curator called India head coach Gambhir a bit 'touchy' ahead of a crucial Test match against England and refused to share details of his conversation with him.
"You saw what he was like this morning. He's a bit touchy!. There's no side of the story. You'll have to ask him that," said Fortis.
The controversial incident has further spiced up the upcoming 5th Test between India and England at The Oval. India are in a must-win situation heading into the Oval Test as they need a victory to pull the series level at 2- 2 after pulling off a heroic draw in the 4th Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
India rode on centuries from skipper Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and a fine 90 from KL Rahul to see out five sessions across Day 4 and Day 5 to pull off a spirited draw against England in the 4th Test, avoiding a series defeat. India will now have a chance to draw the series level at 2-2 at the Oval.
