Gautam Gambhir vs The Oval curator Lee Fortis: The controversy explained and reactions to ugly spat

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Gautam Gambhir : Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis were involved in a heated exchange on Tuesday, July 29, days ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England. In a video that went viral on social media, Gambhir was seen having a go at Fortis, while pointing a finger towards him, in the midst of the visitors’ practice session.

Gautam Gambhir : Fortis seemed extremely displeased with something in the clip and was also seen arguing his point. Before things could get uglier, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak intervened and tried to ended the argument, even patting the curator on his shoulder in a friendly manner. The incident comes amidst a highly intense Test series, which is currently 2-1 in England’s favor.

Gautam Gambhir : What was the Gautam Gambhir-Lee Fortis heated exchange all about?

Gautam Gambhir : As per a report in news agency PTI, Gambhir and Fortis appeared to be having an argument over the conditions of the pitches for practice. The latter was apparently not pleased with a few players and coaches getting too close to the pitch. As per ESPNcricinfo, Fortis even asked Gambhir not to ‘swear’ at him.

Gautam Gambhir : Fortis reportedly told Gambhir, ‘I will have to report this’ to which the Indian coach replied, ‘You go and report whatever you want to report’. At this point, batting coach Kotak stepped and took Fortis aside. He even assured The Oval pitch curator and told him, ‘we won’t damage anything’. Gambhir was clearly not pleased about Fortis’ intervention and apparently told him (via ESPNcricinfo):

“You stop it. You don’t tell us what we need to do. You don’t tell us what we need to do, okay. You don’t need to tell us. You don’t tell any of my squad what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman, you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman.”

Fortis and Gambhir then ended the ugly exchange, with the latter turning back his attention to India’s net session.

“It is not my job to be happy with him” – Lee Fortis on argument with Gambhir

Speaking to reporters after his heated exchange with the Indian head coach went viral, The Oval pitch curator took a dig and Gambhir and said (via IANS):

“It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It’s okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide.”

As per a report in The Indian Express, Fortis has been in charge of The Oval surface since 2012, when he was brought in to replace Bill Gordon. He had earlier worked as an assistant head groundsman at The Oval. In November 2024, Surrey’s Ground Staff, led by Fortis, won the award for the best multi-day pitches for the third consecutive year at the 2024 Grounds Manager of the Year Awards.

“It is not an antique” – Sitanshu Kotak backs Gambhir over exchange with Fortis

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, India’s batting coach Kotak backed Gambhir’s actions during his heated exchange with Fortis. The former Saurashtra batter opined that Fortis’ concerns were silly, adding that he was surprised when the curator asked them to stay a certain distance away from the pitch. He said:

“When some of us coaches went to see the wicket, a member of the groundstaff said stay away at least 2.5 metres, which was a little surprising. Because it is the pitch, the match is starting day after, it will be a five-day Test, and we’re standing in our joggers, so we felt a little awkward.”

Questioning Fortis’ tone, he also took a dig at the pitch curator, stating that the surface is not a 200-year-old antique piece which might break if it is touched.

“When you’re working with very intelligent and highly-skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant or if you come across like… you can be protective, but at the end of the day it is a cricket pitch. It is not an antique where you can’t touch, because otherwise if it is 200 years old it can be broken,” the 52-year-old added.

Meanwhile, amid the controversy, a picture from the 2023 Ashes has gone viral on social media. In the image, England head coach Brendon McCullum can be seen interacting with Fortis while standing on The Oval pitch.

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