What led to Gautam Gambhir's ugly fight with Oval pitch curator? ‘Not my job to be happy with India coach'

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the head coach Gautam Gambhir lost his cool when Oval curator Lee Fortis became ‘overprotective’ of the main pitch.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir and The Oval's chief curator, Lee Fortis, were involved in an altercation two days before the fifth and final Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy starting Thursday. During India's first practice session on Tuesday, Gambhir was seen having a verbal fight with Fortis, which required the intervention of India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to douse the fire.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir had an argument with the Oval pitch curator

According to a PTI report, while walking from the field to his room after the argument with Gambhir, Oval curator Fortis said, "It's a big game, and he (Gambhir) is a bit touchy." But when a group of Indian journalists asked him to confirm this on camera, he denied it.

"No, I don't wanna say anything," Fortis said. "Quite a big game coming up, isn't it?"

The covering journalists tried their best to get something out of Fortis, but the Oval chief curator did not change his stance. "It's not my job to be happy or not with him," he said.

Fortis even added that he has never met Gautam Gambhir before and doesn't want to comment on his temper. "I don't know about him. I've never met him before. I don't know, he must have played here. You saw what he was like this morning. You saw it."

When the reporters asked Fortis what led to the argument, he replied, "I don't know. You have to ask him about it."

Oval pitch curator shares his side of the story after argument with Gambhir

What led to Gautam Gambhir and Oval pitch curator's argument

The incident, captured in videos now circulating widely on social media, occurred during India’s practice session at The Oval. According to those present, the disagreement seemed to stem from the condition or use of the practice pitches.

Witnesses reported that Fortis approached Gambhir and informed him, “I will have to report this,” in reference to something unspecified—likely related to the team’s use of a particular pitch area. Gambhir, visibly displeased, shot back, “You go and report whatever you want to report.”

What followed was an increasingly tense exchange, with Gambhir pointing towards the groundstaff and asserting, “You can't tell us what to do. You are just one of the groundsmen, nothing beyond.” At one point, he also said, “You don’t tell us what we need to do.”

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak quickly intervened to calm the situation, pulling Fortis aside and assuring him, “We won’t damage anything.” Meanwhile, bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate looked on as the argument unfolded.

Both Gambhir and Fortis eventually walked away from the confrontation, with the Indian coach returning to oversee the nets. No official statement has been released by either the BCCI or the ECB regarding the incident.

Kotak, later, revealed that Fortis was being overprotective about certain and Gambhir did not like how he treated the Indian support staff.

"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.

The Oval is set to host the fifth Test starting Thursday, with England 2-1 ahead, following India’s gritty comeback in the fourth Test at Manchester. With the stakes high and pressure mounting ahead of the final match, the fiery exchange has only added to the intensity surrounding the series finale.