Gautam Gambhir found 'Not Guilty' in ugly spat with Oval curator: “He’s got every right to…”

Legendary Australia National Cricket Team batsman Matthew Hayden has found India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir 'not guilty' in an ugly spat with the Oval pitch curator.

Matthew Hayden said that Gautam Gambhir "could have used better language" in dealing with the Oval pitch curator, but he had every right to fight against the injustice.

What happened between Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis?

Ahead of the start of the fifth and final Test match between India and England at the Kennington Oval in London, an ugly spat happened between Gautam Gambhir and Surrey head groundsman Lee Fortis.

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A few days before the match, India's coaches went to see the pitch at The Oval, and they received a strict warning from Lee Fortis to stay at least 2.5 metres away from the surface.

Lee Fortis was reportedly concerned by the heavy footfall as well as the presence of training gear on the main square, and the warning from the chief curator didn't sit well with India coaches, who were not wearing spikes.

Gambhir, being short-tempered, went berserk and fired back at Fortis, stating, "You stop it. You don't tell us what we need to do. You don't tell us what we need to do, okay."

He took his bashing one step further when he said, "You're just a groundsman, you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman," to Lee Fortis.

The pitch curator also warned Gautam Gambhir about filing an official complaint against him if he continued to "swear" at him, but the India head coach wasn't worried about it.

This is a typical case in England - Matthew Hayden

While talking about the infamous Oval incident, Matthew Hayden said that it was a "typical case in England" where the curator tried to assert his authority, and Gautam Gambhir was right to fight back.

"This is a typical case in England. It is a bit of a flex, here we are, final Test match, this is my venue, and they are going to try and make it difficult on Gautam Gambhir. But I think he's got every right to tone it down. He could have used better language. But the reality is, his team is trying to train ahead of the most important Test match," he said on 'All Over Bar The Cricket'.

I get the frustration - Greg Blewett

Former Australia all-rounder Greg Blewett said that the behaviour of some curators is ridiculous and they leave the commentators frustrated at times. During the same discussion, he said:

"I agree. Even now, even as a commentator, you get near the pitch and everyone is saying you can't get anywhere near it and you're like I haven't got spikes on. It is quite ridiculous. I get the frustration. But I agree that the language that he used wasn't great. If he reflects, he could have probably handled it a little better."

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