India head coach Gautam Gambhir found himself in the middle of a heated altercation with Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis on July 29, just days ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England.
The verbal spat reportedly began when Fortis objected to India’s support staff conducting throw-downs on the square area during practice.
Eyewitnesses saw Gambhir visibly agitated, pointing fingers and calling Fortis “just a groundsman,” with a few expletives thrown in. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak eventually stepped in to de-escalate the situation but later clarified that the outburst wasn’t about the pitch itself.
According to Kotak, Fortis shouted at Indian staff for bringing a cooling box onto the field, claiming it could damage the square.
This triggered Gambhir, who was defending his team’s support staff, calling out the aggressive tone used by Fortis. Kotak emphasized that the Indian team was respectful of ground conditions and only wore joggers, not spikes.
Fortis, meanwhile, tried to play down the incident when questioned by the press, refusing to go into details but referring to Gambhir as a “touchy guy.”
The high-stakes Test begins July 31, with England leading the series 2-1.