Oval curator reignites fight with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir

Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis has reignited the controversy surrounding his clash with India head coach Gautam Gambhir during the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England. Fortis defended his actions, claiming he was unfairly portrayed as the antagonist while merely trying to protect the integrity of the main pitch area.

The confrontation between Fortis and Gambhir, which took place at The Oval just days before the decisive Test, quickly went viral. The heated exchange stemmed from Fortis’s concerns about Indian players and staff venturing too close to the playing surface during an optional training session.

Initially, Fortis raised the issue with India’s assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak. However, Gambhir soon stepped in and dismissed Fortis's concerns, asserting that he had no authority to give instructions to the team.

“You stop it. You don’t tell us what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman—stay in your capacity. Nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman,” Gambhir reportedly said.

Despite the pre-match tension, the match itself proved to be a thrilling encounter. Shubman Gill’s India narrowly defeated Ollie Pope’s England by six runs on the final day, leveling the series at 2-2.

Reflecting on the incident a week later, Fortis said he was unfairly cast as the villain by Indian players and fans. He likened the intensity and energy of the match to an IPL game and expressed hope that spectators enjoyed the contest.

“I was never the villain—I was made into one. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the spectacle. The atmosphere felt just like the IPL. It was a fantastic game,” said Fortis, who has been named ECB Curator of the Year for three consecutive years.