"You saw what he was like this morning"- Oval curator reacts to verbal exchange with Gautam Gambhir ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

The curator at London's Oval cricket ground, Lee Fortis, declined to share any details about his verbal altercation with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday, July 29. Gambhir was involved in a heated exchange with Fortis at India's training session, two days before the start of the fifth and final Test match.

When asked if he was satisfied with Gambhir's behavior, Fortis said it was not his place to be happy or unhappy with the Indian coach. Speaking to reporters at The Oval, he said (via ANI):

"It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gautam Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It's okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide..."

The 44-year-old reportedly told the curator not to tell him or others in the Indian camp what needed to be done. He also instructed Fortis to do what his role required him to do at the venue.

“You don't tell us what we need to do. You can't tell any one of us what we need to do. You are just a groundsman, stay like a groundsman," Gambhir was heard telling the groundsman (via Hindustan Times).

India begin preparation for Oval Test as they seek to end series on a high

After a memorable draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, India arrived at The Oval for the fifth and final Test of the series. A win in the finale will help the Shubman Gill-led side draw the series 2-2 and share the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

India won at the venue in the 2021 Test match. That victory helped them take a 2-1 lead in the series, with one match remaining at Old Trafford. However, that match was called off without a ball being bowled after a surge in COVID cases.

The fifth Test was played the following year, in 2022, at Edgbaston, where England won by seven wickets to level the series at 2-2 and share the Pataudi Trophy, now renamed as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer