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‘You Saw What He Is Like’ – Oval Pitch Curator Slams Gautam Gambhir After Mid-Pitch Face-Off In Training

Amogh Bodas

Last updated: July 29, 2025

4 min read

The series is currently poised at 2-1 in favour of England.

We are two sleeps away from the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and the banter has already started. Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated verbal exchange with the pitch curator at The Oval. Lee Fortis, the pitch curator at the venue, reportedly said something to the Indian support staff during their practice session, which did not sit well with Gambhir. The Indian was therefore seen telling the curator off with some harsh words, which later surfaced all over social media.

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak later expressed that the curator asked the team to stay a few metres clear of the pitch, which is going to be used for the game starting on July 31. The Indians found it odd, as there is nothing wrong in having a look at the pitch with rubber spikes on. Teams and players often try to get a feel of the wicket before a game. Kotak also mentioned that the ground was not damaged due to anything that the Indians did. And this is what sparked a debate, which turned into a heated exchange between Gambhir and Fortis.

Upon being asked about his altercations with the Indian head coach, Lee Fortis was pretty reserved about his opinions about the incident. He mentioned that he had never met Gambhir before, and that the Englishmen had nothing to hide after the heated exchange. The Indians have also confirmed that they would not be lodging any formal complaint on the matter.

“It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him [Gautam Gambhir]. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. We have nothing to hide”, said Fortis after the incident.

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Why Gautam Gambhir Lost His Cool At the Curator

As per the Indian batting coach, Fortis yelled at one of the Indian support staff members for keeping an ice box on the square of the pitch. However, that is what irked the Indian coach. The curator also asked Gambhir to stand behind the ropes and check the pitch. What followed was a string of statements made at each other. Kotak tried to have a conversation with Fortis to try and keep the matter calm. But it didn’t do any good.

Massive fight between head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief curator at The Oval. `You don't tell us what to do' pic.twitter.com/W3vddEhine
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) July 29, 2025

Moreover, Fortis is known to give a tough time to visiting teams on Test tours. His rude behaviour is no secret and the Indians knew what they were dealing with. Fortis has been in charge of The Oval in London since 2012. He worked as an assistant head groundsman at the same venue before he parted ways with them in 2006. He is known to provide good pitches and is also awarded in the county season.

An Important Contest For India

The series is poised at 2-1, with England in the driver’s seat. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar helped India draw the fourth Test from a point where England were in touching distance of a win. After India managed 358 in the first innings, the hosts went on to pile up 669 on the back of fabulous centuries from Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett also started strong but missed out on their centuries.

The fifth and final Test at The Oval is a fitting chance for the visitors to level the series. For Shubman Gill as skipper, managing to draw the series will be a huge achievement on his first tour to England. The visitors are expected to make a few changed to their playing XI. The availability of Jasprit Bumrah is still not sure, considering his workload. However, all the pacers are fit to play, and this will give them a lot of confidence.

India are also expected to bring in Arshdeep Singh for the final Test at The Oval. The pacer from Punjab has an experience of playing in the County. He can swing the ball both ways to trouble the batters. To add to that, spinner Kuldeep Yadav might finally find his way into the XI, after missing out of four consecutive matches. More than ever, this will be the final chance for Gautam Gambhir and his team to square off the series.

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