India head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated confrontation with ground staff at The Oval on Tuesday, just two days before the fifth and final Test against England.
England currently lead the series 2-1, with the final Test set to begin on Thursday at the iconic south London venue.
The incident, captured on video, showed Gambhir clashing with Lee Fortis, the Oval’s lead curator. Fortis was reportedly overseeing India’s training session with a protective eye on the pitch area when the altercation occurred.
In the footage, Gambhir can be heard firmly telling Fortis: “You can’t tell us what to do” and “You don’t tell any of us what to do.” He also added, “You’re just the groundsman, nothing beyond,” before walking away while speaking with India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who appeared to intervene in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
Fortis then warned Gambhir that he might file a formal complaint, to which the former Indian opener replied, “You can go and report to whoever you want.”
Kotak later told reporters that the dispute started when Fortis objected to a support staff member wheeling a cooler across the square. “He was sitting on the roller and shouted at our staff not to take the cooler there,” Kotak explained. “It’s fine to be protective of the pitch, but Gautam felt it was inappropriate to speak to our staff like that.”
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“At the end of the day, it’s a cricket pitch—not an antique that you can’t touch,” Kotak added.
The episode marks a further escalation in tensions during what has been an increasingly combative series. While early matches were largely uneventful off the field, tempers flared during the third Test at Lord’s over alleged time-wasting by England batters Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. The fourth Test ended on a sour note, with England captain Ben Stokes expressing frustration after Indian batters Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja declined an early handshake offer while chasing personal milestones.
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With the series on the line, the confrontation at The Oval has added a fresh layer of drama ahead of the much-anticipated decider.
Source: Agency