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India head coach Gautam Gambhir (centre left) looks on towards Oval head groundsman Lee Fortis during a nets session at the Oval. Fortis and Gambhir had a heated argument before the Test started. (PHOTO: PA via AP)
Ahead of the fifth Test at the Oval, there was a spat between the Indian head Coach Gautam and the Chief curator at the Kia Oval. Both parties made their cases after the incident, which was caught on camera and went viral at the time. Many experts also chipped in on who is right and who is wrong in the incident. Former Australian cricketer Mathew Hayden now joins the list in voicing his view, which triggered a response from former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar.
“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
Responding to Hayden’s comments, Vengsarkar said, “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.
While the Indian team slammed Fortis, the curator said he was being made the villain in the situation.
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