E-Paper
Sign in
England accused of 'colonial era' behaviour after Gautam Gambhir's spat with curator: 'Their coach can go, ours can't?'
Irfan Pathan didn't mince his words after Gautam Gambhir's heated exchange with the Oval curator.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir found himself at the centre of a storm on the eve of the fifth Test at The Oval after a fiery exchange with Lee Fortis, the head curator of the venue. The incident unfolded during India’s training session when Gambhir was asked to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch, a directive that did not sit well with the former opener, who was assessing surface conditions ahead of the final clash in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed the confrontation, which raised eyebrows given the significance of pitch inspections in shaping tactical calls and the final XI.
Also read: India vs Pakistan in WCL semi-final stirs storm again, top sponsor walks out amid brewing knockout controversy
While such inspections are a routine pre-match ritual for captains and coaching staff, the controversy has stirred debate about double standards. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan openly questioned why an English coach was seen standing on the same pitch without restriction while the Indian head coach was cautioned. Pathan didn't mince words in his tweet, saying, “So an English coach can walk onto the pitch to inspect it? but an Indian coach can’t? Are we still stuck in the colonial era?”
He further discussed the controversy in detail in a YouTube video, in which he stated that he felt transported back to the 1947 era.
Gambhir well within rules
Pathan stated that Gautam Gambhir was well within his rights to inspect the pitch, questioning the double-standards again as he referenced an Ashes 2023 picture which showed England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, standing on the pitch two days before the game at the same venue.
“Gambhir was perfectly fine in terms of the rules. The Oval curator has a history of being rude to the captains and coaches of overseas teams. This isn't the first time. The process of villainising Gambhir has been going on for a long time,” Irfan began.
“We shower love on visiting teams when they come to India and provide every possible facility to them. We follow the rules when we go overseas, as we should. Now, a person posted a picture of Brendon McCullum and the same curator standing on the pitch two days before an Ashes Test in 2023. Even Gambhir went two days before the game. How can you tell him to get away? Do you mean England's coach can go, and India's can't? It feels like we are still in the 1947 era. This is absolutely not acceptable.
“If you won’t get to inspect the pitch, how will you plan for the game? You have to get a feel of the pitch by touching it, how hard it is, and whether there is moisture in it or not. You can’t have that by staring at it from 2.5 meters. This was an unnecessary controversy," he said.
