Lee Fortis, the pitch curator at The Oval, has spoken after his argument with India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir. The fight happened just before the fifth and last Test between India and England. Fortis said he has “nothing to hide” and tried to stay calm even though the moment was tense.
Fortis told reporters, “It’s a big match. I don’t need to be happy or upset with Gambhir. I had never met him before today. You all saw how he acted this morning. I’m okay. We are not hiding anything.”
The argument took place on Tuesday during India’s practice. Indian fast bowlers were marking their run-up spots near the nets when the clash began. Gambhir, known for being very emotional and outspoken, started shouting at Fortis. He pointed at the ground staff while arguing. It is still unclear what caused the fight, but many people believe it was about the pitch’s condition.
India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, stepped in to stop things from getting worse. He walked Fortis away while Gambhir kept arguing from a distance. Someone recorded the whole scene, and the video quickly spread on social media. This incident has added more tension to an already emotional series.
India reached London only a day before this happened. They had just played a tough match in Manchester, which ended in a draw. After arriving, the team went to a welcome event at the Indian High Commission. There, Gambhir gave a strong speech about the team’s journey so far.
This is not the first heated moment of the series. Earlier, Shubman Gill showed his anger when England took too long to come back on the field at Lord’s. At Old Trafford, England captain Ben Stokes got upset when Indian batters did not stop the game to shake hands because they were chasing personal records.
India is behind 1-2 in the five-match series. The final Test at The Oval starts on Thursday. With so many emotional moments already and both teams under pressure, the last match is expected to be full of drama—both on and off the field.