In 2024, Gautam Gambhir became head coach of Indian cricket team. In the latter, on the first full day of training at The Oval, he’d had a fiery spat with the Surrey ground staff. This event came a few days before the fifth and final Test against England. It escalated the toxic environment that was shaping up around the series.
The clash started when Gambhir and his coaching staff were checking the wicket before the match. Ground staff, including Lee Fortis, the head of Surrey’s ground staff, told Gambhir and his crew to vacate the playing surface. They had to save the playing field from disrepair. Gambhir responded assertively, pointing his finger at Fortis and shouting, “you can’t tell us what to do” and “you’re just the groundsman, nothing beyond.” This exchange highlighted the tensions that have characterized the ongoing series between India and England, culminating from several controversial moments.
Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach who witnessed the incident and later spoke to media regarding the confrontation. He depicted the mood as strange and said that curators can be very territorial about the pitch.
“When we were standing on the wicket looking at it, one of the ground staff came and said to stand two and half metres away from here. In my cricketing career, I have never seen anybody saying that,” – Sitanshu Kotak.
Kotak gave an explanation on the attitude of the ground staff. He implored them to respect the knowledge and skill of their coaching staff.
“Curators are a little over-protective or possessive about the square and the ground. They need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent.” – Sitanshu Kotak.
The face-off comes after an extraordinary charged fourth Test at Old Trafford. During that game, India famously refused to handshake their opponents following a controversial draw. The prior Test match had featured Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar both earning centuries, stoking competitive fires even more. At a time when tempers were flaring on both sides, Gambhir’s fight with the ground staff pumped a good dose of extra drama into the fiery series.
At the time of the explosion, Fortis bluntly responded, “There’s nothing to discuss.” They promised all of us, “Ain’t nothing to see here boys,” hoping to calm the mobsounding pitch forks and torches. Kotak challenged this idea, recalling that he almost did not believe having been asked to look at the wicket from the other side.
“Literally he was saying that ‘you can go outside the rope’ to the head coach and see the wicket. I don’t know how you can see,” – Sitanshu Kotak.
Though serious, the incident is illustrative of a growing pattern of increased hostility between teams and field operations during highly contested competitive matches. As cricket evolves into a more strategic and high-stakes endeavor, both players and officials grapple with maintaining decorum while asserting their professional boundaries.
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