India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s heated altercation with Surrey pitch curator Lee Fortis on Tuesday sparked a major controversy, ahead of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, starting July 31. Fortis spoke rudely to Gambhir’s support staff for standing close to the pitch, triggering a strong response from the Indian head coach. According to India’s batting coach, Shitanshu Kotak, the curator insisted they remain at least 2.5 metres away from the deck. Gambhir blasted Fortis after the same, saying: “You can’t tell us what do”
A day after his clash with Gambhir, Fortis has now come under the scanner once again. In a viral picture, Fortis was seen standing close to the pitch, alongside England head coach Brendon McCullum and home team skipper Ben Stokes.
Wednesday’s open access pitch inspection was in complete contrast to events from the previous day, where the Indian team was denied access to the same.
Interestingly, Fortis has been accused of being hostile to visiting teams in the past. According to rumours, he had a similar heated incident with the Indian Women’s cricket team when they played the 3rd T20I against England Women at The Oval earlier this month.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had to step in to defuse the situation, escorting Fortis away while Gambhir continued to argue from a distance. The incident, captured on video, quickly went viral on social media, adding to the tension surrounding the Test series finale.
India, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, arrived in London just a day earlier after a gutsy draw in Manchester. The team was welcomed at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commission, where Gambhir delivered a passionate speech reflecting on the series.
The heated exchange is the latest flashpoint in a series filled with emotional flare-ups – from Shubman Gill’s displeasure at England’s delayed re-entry at the Lord’s, to the standoff at Old Trafford where Ben Stokes and his team bristled after Indian batters refused an early handshake, prioritising their centuries instead.
With the series on the line and tempers already flaring, the final Test at The Oval, starting on Thursday, promises to be a charged affair both on and off the field.