Gautam Gambhir angry at The Oval pitch curator (Screengrab)
The build-up to the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval has taken an unexpected turn, with a fiery exchange between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and pitch curator Lee Fortis grabbing headlines. The confrontation, which took place on Tuesday during India’s practice session, was reportedly sparked by disagreements over pitch access and practice conditions.Gambhir, visibly agitated, was seen pointing at Fortis and shouting, “You don’t tell us what we need to do.” Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The incident required the intervention of India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who pulled Fortis aside to calm tensions before both parties walked away separately.Adding fuel to the controversy, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to call out what he described as a clear case of double standards.
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Reacting to an image circulating online of England head coach Brendon McCullum freely inspecting the pitch alongside Fortis, Pathan wrote: “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?”Pathan’s post struck a chord with many fans and former players, sparking a wider debate on the treatment of subcontinental teams and coaches on overseas tours.Curator Lee Fortis downplayed the incident, calling Gambhir “a bit touchy” and refusing to provide specific details. “You’ll have to ask him (Gambhir) that,” Fortis told reporters when asked what triggered the altercation. “We’ve got nothing to hide here.”India head into the final Test trailing 2-1 in the series, with the opportunity to level things after a heroic draw at Old Trafford. In team news, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, as reported by TimesofIndia.com, is expected to make his Test debut at The Oval, adding to the drama of what promises to be an explosive finale.
