England and India will conclude their fiery five-match Test series on Thursday and sparks are already flying after touring head coach Gautam Gambhir was filmed clashing with Oval groundsman Lee Fortis
India’s increasingly ill-tempered tour of England continued as head coach Gautam Gambhir engaged in an angry exchange with Surrey’s head groundsman ahead of Thursday’s deciding Test. While England decided to take a break two days out from the fifth and final match of a tetchy series, India were back in the nets at the Kia Oval as they attempt to salvage a 2-2 draw.
But even with Ben Stokes and company absent, it did not take long for tensions to flare in south London. Gambhir, who can expect to face serious scrutiny over his position if England claim another victory, was seen sharing terse words with Lee Fortis, Surrey’s lead curator.
Gambhir, a 58-Test veteran, was caught on camera wagging his finger as Fortis towered over him, repeatedly stating: “You can’t tell us what to do” and “you don’t tell any of us what to do.” Gambhir can also be heard adding: “You’re just the groundsman, nothing beyond.”
Fortis, who has been named as the ECB’s grounds manager of the year for the last three seasons, is understood to have been keeping a protective eye on the square during India’s practice with plenty of cricket still to be played on it once the international summer is over. Gambhir did not take kindly to his intervention.
After walking away in conversation with India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who appeared to take on the role of mediator, Fortis told Gambhir he may be forced to lodge complaint against him, drawing a response of: “You can go and report to whoever you want.”
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India and Surrey have been contacted for comment. Speaking in a news conference after the incident, Kotak said that their coaching team were inspecting the wicket before being asked to move away.
“When we were standing on the wicket looking at it, one of the ground staff came and said to stand two-and-a-half metres away from here. In my cricketing career I have never seen anybody saying that,” Kotak claimed.
“Literally he was saying that, ‘You can go outside the rope’ to the head coach and see the wicket. I don’t know how you can see. If someone was brushing their shoes, or somebody is trying to put something on the wicket or somebody wearing spikes – if the curator feels that then fine – but it was a very strange way of saying it.
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“Curators are a little over-protective or possessive about the square and the ground. [They] need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people.
“When you are working with very intelligent and highly skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant, you can be protective – but at the end of the day it’s a cricket pitch. It’s not an antique that you can’t touch because it’s 200 years old and it can be broken. That’s what I feel.”
A group of journalists from India sought out Fortis, who explained: “There’s quite a big game coming up. It’s not my job to be happy… 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. I’m okay, we’ve nothing to hide here. It does look a bit like (you’re ganging up on me). If you turn the cameras round and show what this is. I don’t want to be rude.”
Whether India’s frustrations included concerns over the Test pitch as well as their training provisions is not known but the Oval deck is expected to carry some live grass at the start of the game and provide greater pace and bounce than in the previous four matches.
England’s attack has struggled for cut through at times, not least in the last innings at Old Trafford, where they mustered just four wickets in 143 overs. India’s rearguard ended in rancour, with Stokes annoyed that Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja declined his offer of an early handshake as they each pursued centuries.
Both men reached three figures, but did so with some persistent sledging in their ears from England fielders. Relations between the teams had been relatively serene until a time-wasting row midway through the third Test at Lord’s, where Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were treated to some X-rated words from India captain Shubman Gill.
England responded by accusing Gill of running down the clock himself during his own innings and Mohammed Siraj was fined for his furious send-off of Duckett the next morning, though a brief shoulder to shoulder contact between the two was accepted as accidental.