"What is this antique piece that would break if I move it?" - Aakash Chopra on Gautam Gambhir's spat with curator ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lambasted the Oval head curator for asking Gautam Gambhir to stay away from the pitch, which led to a verbal spat between the duo. The analyst wondered whether the pitch was an antique piece that would break if touched.

The fifth and final Test between India and England will be played at The Oval from Thursday, July 31, onwards. The visitors, who trail 2-1, need to win the game to draw parity in the series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener questioned the curator for not allowing Gambhir to go close to the pitch, highlighting that the Indian team's head coach wasn't wearing spikes.

"The Oval head curator asked them to remove the icebox, that it can't be taken on the square. What difference will it make if you keep the icebox on the corner pitch on the square? There are still two days before the match. Maybe you let it slide. Then you go to have a look at the pitch, and you are wearing rubber studs. You know the decorum. You won't go to the pitch wearing spikes," Chopra said (2:35). "However, when you are going to have a look at the pitch, you are asked to stay away, that you need to be two-and-a-half meters away, and that is when the Indian felt it was wrong. I am not going to ruin your surface, and there are still 48 hours to go before the match. So how will it impact your health if I have a look at the pitch? What is this antique piece that would break if I move it?" he added.

Aakash Chopra highlighted that the Indian team was fair in wanting to have a closer look at the pitch, as they are supposed to play on it. He added that people, like Gautam Gambhir in this case, sometimes lose their calm and composure because they feel cornered.

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"I find this actually humiliating" - Aakash Chopra on the Oval curator's contrasting behavior with Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum

An old photo of Brendon McCullum (left) standing on the Oval pitch has gone viral. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra questioned the curator for treating Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum differently, highlighting that the England head coach was seen standing on the pitch two days before an Ashes game in 2023.

"It was the same curator in 2023, it was an Ashes match, and two days before that, he was standing on the pitch along with Brendon McCullum, the home team's coach. If he can stand on the pitch 48 hours before the game, can the Indian players not go even close to the pitch? Can the Indian coach not go and see how the pitch is? I find this absolutely bizarre. I find this actually humiliating," he said.

While acknowledging that Gambhir's choice of words could have been better, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that he understands what his fellow Delhiite would have been feeling.

"There might be a question whether the choice of words was alright. This is about Gautam. Maybe that's not right because you need to be politically correct, as your designation is like that. However, I can totally understand what goes through a person's mind," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra highlighted that he wouldn't term the curator's act racist. However, he pointed out that such behavior makes one feel so.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer