The spicy spats that have increasingly been a feature in the England\u2011India Tests this summer spilled over to training on Tuesday when the tourists\u2019 head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had a row with Lee Fortis, Surrey\u2019s head groundkeeper, as his team prepared for the final Test of the series starting on Thursday at the Oval.<\/p>\n
England were enjoying a break but, with the series still to be decided and India 2-1 down after their fightback<\/a> at Old Trafford, the visitors\u2019 work in the nets was far from straightforward as tensions surfaced in angry exchanges.<\/p>\n Reports suggest that Fortis was unhappy with India using parts of the main square and was told \u201cyou can\u2019t tell us what to do\u201d. Sitanshu Kotak, the India batting coach, apparently accused the head groundkeeper of being \u201ca bit arrogant\u201d and shouting at members of India\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n Gambhir, who played 58 Tests for India, was seen on camera wagging his finger at Fortis saying: \u201cYou can\u2019t tell us what to do \u2026 you\u2019re just the groundsman, nothing beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n After walking away in conversation with Kotak, who appeared to take on the role of mediator, Fortis told Gambhir that he may be forced to lodge a complaint against him, drawing a response of: \u201cYou can go and report to whoever you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Afterwards, Fortis said: \u201cIt is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with [Gautam Gambhir] or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It\u2019s OK, I am fine. We have nothing to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n Kotak said Fortis\u2019s objections to a cool box being wheeled on to the square kicked off the arguments. \u201cHe was sitting on the roller, he shouted and told the support staff not to take it there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is good to be a little possessive and it is also good to be protective, but not that much. Gautam just said do not talk to the support staff like this.<\/p>\n Surrey\u2019s head groundsman Lee Fortis argues with Gautam Gambhir. Photograph: Sky Sports<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the team knows that the curator is not the easiest person to get on with. So, that gives a lot of answers. When you\u2019re working with very intelligent and highly skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant or if you come across like \u2026 you can be protective. At the end of the day it is a cricket pitch. It is not an antique where you can\u2019t touch.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether India\u2019s frustrations included concerns over the Test pitch as well as their training provisions is not known, but the Oval deck is expected to carry some live grass at the start of the game and provide greater pace and bounce than in the previous three matches.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers’ thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week\u2019s action<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The England attack has struggled for cut-through at times, not least in the last innings of the fourth Test at Old Trafford<\/a>, where they took four wickets in 143 overs.<\/p>\n India\u2019s rearguard action ended in rancour, with Ben Stokes annoyed that Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja declined his offer of an early handshake as they pursued centuries. Both batters reached three figures, but did so with some persistent sledging from England fielders.<\/p>\n