Shubman Gill inspects pitch at The Oval ahead of 5th ENG vs IND 2025 Test as curator Lee Fortis looks on [Watch]

India captain Shubman Gill was seen inspecting the Oval pitch, where the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be played, on Wednesday, July 30. The Test starts on Thursday, July 31.

In a video shared by RevSportz Global on X, Gill was seen going down on his knees while inspecting the pitch, even as curator Lee Fortis, currently in the news for a much-publicized spat with India head coach Gautam Gambhir, looked on.

You can see the video here:

Fortis, who had allegedly asked Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to stand 2.5 metres away from the pitch on Tuesday, was noticeably quiet in the video, offering no comments.

The pitch at The Oval has traditionally helped pacers early on with good bounce and carry on, but it starts to assist spinners, usually taking on a dusty and dry look, as a red-ball match wears on. This time around, however, it appears as if Fortis has left a lot of grass on the surface.

India need to win the fifth Test to draw the series

The five-match series is currently led by England 2-1 after victories in the first and third Test in Leeds and Lord's, respectively. India's sole victory in the series came in the second Test played at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The visitors scripted a historic comeback in the fourth Test, played at Old Trafford in Manchester last week. Trailing their hosts by 311 runs in their second innings, India faced major setbacks after losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the first over itself.

However, centuries from Shubman Gill (103), Ravindra Jadeja (107*) and Washington Sundar (101*), along with KL Rahul's classy 90, helped them avoid a series defeat, and keep it alive till the final match.

India will be helped greatly by the fact that England are missing their captain, Ben Stokes, in the decider, as he has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. Similarly, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have been left out of their squad.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava