After a day following his ugly spat with head coach Gautam Gambhir, the Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis was once again seen crossing the line during India’s final training session ahead of the fifth and final Test match against England on Wednesday. India drew the fourth Test in Manchester to keep themselves alive in the The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy despite trailing 1-2 in the series.
In a fresh series of events, Fortis once again turned up during the Indian practice session, leaving no stone unturned to disrupt the visitor’s build-up for the high-octane series decider. The morning session of Indian training session on Wednesday started when Fortis asked Nuwan Seneviratne, Team India’s throwdown specialist to relocate his practice area, according to a report in Xtra Time.
The interruption appeared to catch the support staff off-guard. Fortis then made his way to the area when India captain Shubman Gill, Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar were having a discussion around the main pitch area.
The big burly man went to Kotak and asked him to take his group to a different position nearby which they duly obliged. The highlight of the incident was Gambhir’s ignorance towards Fortis, like the Englishman never existed. He didn’t stop there.
The report also added that Indian batter Sai Sudharsan was pulled up by a groundstaff member (probably Fortis) and was asked to move away from the area from where he was doing sprints. Notably, that area is being used for warm-ups for cricketers of both teams during any international or domestic match.
Shubman Gill calls Oval pitch row ‘unnecessary’
Meanwhile, Gill called the entire issue caused by the head groundsman at the Oval with Gambhir as “unnecessary”. “What happened yesterday, I thought, is just absolutely unnecessary. I mean, it’s not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket,” Gill said on Wednesday. The skipper, who has scored 722 runs in the four Tests so far, added: “As a captain, I don’t know what the fuss was all about.”
What happened between Lee Fortis & Gautam Gambhir?
During India’s optional training session on Tuesday, Fortis was seen asking the Indian management to step aside at least 2.5 metres from the main pitch, which irked Gambhir, especially.
Gambhir was caught on camera wagging his finger as Fortis towered over him, repeatedly stating: “You can’t tell us what to do. You’re just the groundsman, nothing beyond.” However, Fortis was did just the opposite with the England players and support staff.