Oval pitch curator breaks silence on fight with Gautam Gambhir
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Another India vs England Test, and another controversy begins even before the match begins. Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen engaging in a tiff with the groundstaff ahead of the final Test at The Oval.
After India saved their chances to draw the series, having saved the fourth Test with a draw at Manchester, he praised his players for a commendable team effort and also opened up on Rishabh Pant being a true inspiration with the bravery he showed.
Gautam Gambhir, who has previously waved off many suggestions made by several pundits of the game, made his intentions clear once again as he said that he doesn't want his players to follow anyone else's footsteps but to build their own legacy.
Gautam Gambhir was seen engaging in a heated debate with the Oval groundstaff
According to journalists at the venue and the viral post on social media, Gautam Gambhir was seen engaging in another heated exchange, this time with the pitch curator at The Oval. For all the disagreement seemed to revolve around the condition of the pitch, as Gambhir was heard saying, "You don't tell us what to do," as reported by TOI.
The argument between the two reached such a point that the support staff alongside India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had to step in and separate the two. The exact reason for the banter remained unclear until Kotak issued a formal statement clarifying the reason for the verbal spat.
Curator threatens to complain; Gambhir hits back with, 'Go report to whoever you want'
The incident had infuriated the Indian head coach, as he is known to be short-tempered in several instances and has engaged in several such controversies prior to this. The Oval curator is also seemingly not a man to be handled easily.
However, as the officials separated the two individuals, Lee Fortis, the groundstaff, clarified his intentions towards the incident, as he warned Gautam Gambhir of reporting him.
This was when Gambhir was heard saying, “You can go and report to whoever you want, but you can't tell us what to do.”
Groundsman Lee Fortis dismisses exaggerating the feud
After the incident occurred during India's practice session, the reporters went on to have a quick word with the Oval Groundstaff, Lee Fortis, in search of his side of the story. They revealed quite honestly that they did not want any controversy; hence, they would want to know what both parties feel about the incident.
However, the pitch curator debarred from answering any question directly, as he replied, saying, "You (the reporters) saw how he (Gautam Gambhir) was like this morning; you saw," when asked about why he called the Indian head coach a 'touchy guy. '
Other than this, he never made any controversial statement and said that he is ok; there is a big match coming up, and such things happen in the due course of the game. Though he looked a bit displeased by the manner the reporters wanted to plant their own words in his mouth.
Lee Fortis, Oval Pitch Curator said, "It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gautam Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. It's okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide..."
🚨BREAKING: The Oval Ground Staff, Lee Fortis tries to play down the spat and says,”Gambhir is a touchy guy.”@debasissen @ThumsUpOfficial #ENGvsIND #GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/pFMif7SIUH
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) July 29, 2025
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India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England England vs India Gautam Gambhir Sitanshu Kotak The Oval
