Gambhir and Surrey groundsman in heated altercation due to presence of a number of Indian players and support staff.
Two days prior to the fifth and final Test match between India and England at The Oval, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a furious altercation with Surrey’s head groundskeeper Lee Fortis. Gambhir was observed repeatedly calling Fortis “just a groundsman” and waving his finger at him. If the former India batter kept “swearing” at him, Fortis threatened to report him to the ICC match referee.
After drawing the fourth Test in Manchester, India managed to salvage the series and came in London for an optional training session on Tuesday. Support staff personnel showed there ahead of the players and Gambhir, along with the assistant coaches, as has been customary.
When asked by media about his encounter with Gambhir, Fortis would not elaborate, but he was not pleased that the Indian team was occupying the main area for their training session. Additionally, he was worried about certain coaches and players approaching the pitch too closely.
Gambhir interrupted Sitanshu Kotak, India’s assistant coach, as he was speaking to Fortis. Gambhir was overheard warning him not to “swear” and that he would “have to report to the match referee” if he persisted in doing so. Fortis and Kotak were still talking by a side net. Kotak was instructed by Gambhir to “not get into a discussion” with Fortis and to go speak to the match referee.
When Fortis cautioned him again, Gambhir was heard saying: “You stop it. You don’t tell us what we need to do. You don’t tell us what we need to do, okay. You don’t need to tell us. You don’t tell any of my squad what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman, you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman.”
Kotak later said they felt “awkward” at being asked to stay a certain distance from the pitch despite not wearing spikes.
“When some of us coaches went to see the wicket, a member of the groundstaff said stay away at least 2.5 metres, which was a little surprising,” Kotak said. “Because it is the pitch, the match is starting day after, it will be a five-day Test, and we’re standing in our joggers, so we felt a little awkward.”