The verbal spat between Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis is still in discussion, especially after Fortis toasted for a great five-day outing for Test cricket and said that he is no evil. Mathew Hayden, the former Australian cricketer, even though he was not totally against Gautam Gambhir's rage, didn't like the choice of words. And now, former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar came in support of Gambhir.
Vengsarkar not only supported Gambhir's right to inspect the pitch but also called out the Australian hypocrisy that they would have never held themselves back in such circumstances. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Vengsarkar said,
“As the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir had every right to see the pitch from close quarters. When teams tour India, their entire squad, not just the captain and coach, examines the pitch minutely. Even their media inspects the pitch before the match. No one tells them anything. So, how are the rules different when we are playing in England?”
He added,
“Would Hayden, or any of the Aussie cricketers, take it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the square ahead of an important match? If this had happened to the Aussies, they would have used the choicest words to show the curator his place."
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What happened between Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis?
On the optional practice day for the India team, just two days before the fifth Test, Gambhir was seen in a heated altercation with Fortis. Fortis was alleged to repeatedly interrupted the Indian practice with his unwanted sarcasm.
Initially, he resisted the Indian team inspecting the pitch and also coyly remarked to grow more grass and make it harder for the Indians. The heat broke out when a support staff was instructed to carry a 10kg icebox from beyond the boundary rope, alleging that it will affect the square. In the video that went viral, Gambhir was heard using cuss words and also shouting at Fortis, saying he is "just a groundsman."
Later, Indian captain Shubman Gill and assistant coach Sitangshu Kotak backed Gambhir's approach in the press conference too. India ultimately won the match by a narrow margin of 6 runs, thus drawing the series.
