Two days ahead of the series-deciding fifth Test between India and England, a huge row brewed involving the visiting coach Gautam Gambhir and the Oval curator Lee Fortis.
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 said Gambhir coach could have used better language.
“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.
Now, former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has responded to Hayden’s comments. “As the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir had every right to see the pitch from close quarters. When teams tour India, their entire squad, not just the captain and coach, examines the pitch minutely. Even their media inspect the pitch before the match. No one tells them anything. So, how are the rules different when we are playing in England?” Vengsarkar told the Mumbai Mirror.
“Would Hayden, or any of the Aussie cricketers, take it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the square ahead of an important match? If this had happened to the Aussies, they would have used the choicest words to show the curator his place,” he added.
India won the Oval Test by a narrow margin of six runs, thereby ending the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in a 2-2 draw.
When Shubman Gill’s men landed in England, no one gave them a chance following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. However, the team in transition proved everyone wrong as they gave the hosts a run of their money in all five Test matches.
