Parthiv Patel defends Gautam Gambhir on pitch dispute: Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel has supported head coach Gautam Gambhir on the argument with the Oval curator. He says that the coach had every right to express his displeasure. Before the fifth Test match, when the Indian team was practicing at The Oval, the head of the ground staff Lee Fortis had asked coach Gambhir to stay two and a half meters away from the pitch. After this, there was a heated argument between Gambhir and Fortis.
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Parthiv Patel: India has to play the last Test match against England at The Oval. India was successful in drawing the fourth Test played in Manchester but it is still trailing 1-2 in this series. During a conversation with PTI Videos, Parthiv has described the fight between Gambhir and Fortis as unfortunate. He believes that as a curator you cannot stop anyone from inspecting the pitch. He said,
Tempers flare at The Oval as Gautam Gambhir had some words to say to the ground staff! 🔥
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 29, 2025
Here's what really happened! 👀#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/CLjzjMWST5
Parthiv Patel: “It is unfortunate that such an incident happened. But Gautam has the right to express his displeasure. As a curator, of course you cannot stop anyone from inspecting the pitch. This is the role of the head coach. What else are you expecting? No head coach will go and inspect the pitch. This is not possible at all. All this was being broadcast. This is the inappropriate behavior of England which is not good at all.”
Parthiv Patel: Gambhir was ordered to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch
Parthiv Patel: It is worth noting that on Tuesday, coach Gambhir and head of the ground staff Fortis were seen arguing in the ground. Fortis had asked Gambhir to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch. On this, Gambhir had pointed his finger and said,
“You cannot tell any of us what to do. You do not have the right to tell us. You are only a ground staff. Nothing more than this.”
Let us tell you that in the press conference before the match, Indian captain Shubman Gill also expressed his displeasure over this behavior of the Oval cutter. He said that before this no one had ever asked him to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch.
