Gambhir lost his composure after being told to stay 2.5 meters away when he was inspecting the pitch.
The curator had reportedly asked the Indian coaching staff to maintain a distance from the main pitch square despite them wearing joggers or shoes with rubber spikes, prompting frustration from Gambhir.
The Indian head coach was heard saying, "You don’t tell any of us what we need to do… you have no right to tell us. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond.”
Reacting to the episode, Australian legend Matthew Hayden backed Gambhir while also adding that the Indian coach could have used better language.
"I used to sit in the middle and meditate. And, often there would not be a person that would not come up to me and tell me to move. They (curators) can get pretty protective around the surface. This is a typical case in England. It is a bit of a flex, here we are, final Test match, this is my venue, and they are going to try and make it difficult on Gautam Gambhir. But I think he's got every right to tone it down. He could have used better language. But the reality is, his team is trying to train ahead of the most important Test match," Hayden said on 'All Over Bar The Cricket'.
Former Australian all-rounder Greg Blewett, who was also part of the discussion panel, agreed with Hayden and called the incident 'ridiculous'.
"I agree. Even now, even as a commentator, you get near the pitch and everyone is saying you can't get anywhere near it and you're like I haven't got spikes on. It is quite ridiculous. I get the frustration. But I agree that the language that he used wasn't great. If he reflects, he could have probably handled it a little better," Blewett remarked.
India won the Oval Test against England by a narrow margin of six runs, thereby ending the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in a 2-2 draw.