'You don’t get to tell us what to do'; Coach Gambhir gets into heated exchange with pitch curator during Indian team's practice at The Oval

LONDON: Indian cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir had a heated exchange with the pitch curator during team practice. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning at The Oval. Gambhir clashed with the ground’s chief pitch curator, Lee Fortis, after Fortis objected to the Indian team practising on a particular pitch. The disagreement began when Gambhir questioned Fortis’s remarks against the team using that pitch.

Following Gambhir’s argument, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also got involved in the conversation with Fortis. According to national media reports, the ground staff may file a complaint against Gambhir. In the video of the incident, Gambhir can be seen repeatedly saying, “You don’t get to tell us what to do. You cannot tell us what we should do. You are just a ground staff member.”

Subsequently, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak intervened, moved Fortis to another side of the ground, and spoke to him privately before both parties dispersed. The fifth Test match of the India-England series is scheduled to begin on July 31.

Youngster Sai Sudharsan and spinner Kuldeep Yadav were the first to arrive for training in the Indian camp. Currently, after four Tests, India trails England 1-2, with their lone victory coming in the second Test.