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Gautam Gambhir, chief curator clash at The Oval
The India chief coach and the venue groundsman argued during training, ahead of the final Test versus England
New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated verbal argument with the chief curator at The Oval, venue of the fifth Test against England which starts on Thursday. In videos that have surfaced on X, Gambhir in the incident that happened on Tuesday can be seen animatedly pointing a finger at Lee Fortis and with some words audible, including “You don’t tell us what to do”.
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is then seen stepping in, taking Lee away and having a brief conversation with him. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also joins Kotak during his conversation with Lee, while Gambhir, standing away, continues to make his point as he stands on the edge of a batting net.
Later in the news conference on Tuesday, Kotak said: “When we were having a conversation near the pitch they had sent a man to send a message for us to stay 2.5m away from the pitch. We were wearing joggers, so it was awkward.”
“We know curators are overprotective and possessive about the square. What he (Gambhir) said about the head coach is his opinion and I don’t want to comment. We did nothing wrong, we were wearing rubber spikes. Even the bowlers were not wearing spikes.
“The curator also needs to know that the people he is talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people. You can be protective about the square, but not arrogant. It is not an antique that you can’t touch or it will be broken. He said we are trying to grow the grass but we were wearing joggers so we didn’t see the problem.
“The curator yelled at support staff when they were getting an ice box. It weighs 10kg. Gambhir objected to the way he spoke with the support staff. The way he spoke irked Gambhir as it would any head coach. Everyone knows the curator at The Oval is not the easiest person to deal with. We won’t be lodging any official complaint,” he added.
Kotak clarified that the wicket has grass like other venues, barring Manchester which saw the only drawn Test. The series has not been short of drama. Words were exchanged between India captain Shubman Gill and England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the final moments of Day 3 in the Lord’s Test. India accused England of employing time wasting tactics to deny them the opportunity to bowl a second over, and possibly get an early breakthrough.
In the fourth Test at Old Trafford, words were exchanged when late in the final session of the match after Ben Stokes offered to shake hands on a draw and Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, batting on 89 and 80 respectively, insisted on carrying on, having battled to thwart England’s bid for victory.
Stokes was heard saying, “Jaddu, do you want to get a Test hundred against Brook and Duckett?” Jadeja responded, “What do you want me to do, just walk off?” Crawley, who stood close by, chipped in: “You can, just shake your hand.”
Jadeja and Sundar both scored hundreds before the draw was eventually agreed. India’s stand, to let the two batters reach the landmark, has largely been endorsed.
India trail the series 1-2, but having managed to keep the series alive by drawing the Old Trafford game, can hope to push for victory to finish on level terms.
The latest incident promises to add more drama to the build-up for the Oval Test.
