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India head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated exchange with the Oval pitch curator ahead of the fifth Test against England.
The two sides are set to face off in the fifth and final Test at the venue on July 31, with England leading the series 2-1.
England won the opening Test by five wickets in Leeds; however, India fought back with an impressive win in the second game in Birmingham.
The third Test between both sides became a cliffhanger, with England winning the match at Lord’s only by 22 runs on the final day of the game.
The Indian team arrived in London from Manchester after producing a memorable performance in the fourth Test and had an optional training session.
However, things heated up after the Indian team arrived at the venue as Gautam Gambhir was seen in an animated chat with Surrey head groundsman Lee Fortis.
The dispute happened reportedly due to a disagreement over the use of the square housing the main pitch.
The incident took place when Gautam Gambhir intervened during a discussion between India’s assistant coach, Sitanshu Kotak, and the groundsmen.
Subsequently, Fortis warned Gautam Gambhir about reporting him to the International Cricket Council (ICC) if he continued to ‘swear’ at them.
“You don’t tell us what we need to do. You don’t tell us what we need to do, okay. You don’t need to tell us. You don’t tell any of my squad what we need to do.
You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman; you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman,” Gautam Gambhir replied to Lee Fortis.
After the incident, Lee Fortis denied any heated exchange with India’s head coach.
“I’ve never met him before; he must’ve played here. You saw what he was like this morning. I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him. There’s no side to the story,” Lee Fortis said.
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