“You're just a groundsman” - What happened between Gautam Gambhir and Surrey groundsman Lee Fortis?

Tempers flared between the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Oval Chief Curator Lee Fortis as the duo were involved in a heated altercation ahead of the start of the fifth and final Test, scheduled to start on Thursday, July 31.

Delving into the details of the incident, Fortis allegedly instructed the support staff members of the Indian team to maintain at least a distance of 2.5m from the pitch as they tried to inspect it ahead of the crucial game, which didn’t go down well with Gambhir.

"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,” Gambhir yelled at Fortis.

Fortis responded by saying, "I will have to report this."

Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who attended the pre-match press conference, has clarified that the support staff members were inspecting the pitch, wearing rubber spikes. That was the point when Fortis instructed them to keep some distance from the surface.

However, Kotak asserted that the groundsman also needs to understand the people he is talking to as the support staff is highly skilled and intelligent, adding that they try and see that the ground doesn’t get damaged.

"When we went to have a look at the wicket, someone came up and told us to stand 2.5 metres away. That was surprising, to say the least. We weren't wearing spikes. There are still two days to go before the match. I've never seen anything like it in my life,” Kotak said.

"[We were] just looking at the wicket, with rubber spikes, day after there's a Test match there, there's nothing wrong [with that]. Curators also need to understand the people they are talking to, they are highly skilled and intelligent. For example, if you go on the ground now where we practised, you won't even see that any bowler in the outfield would have marked with his spikes. That all comes from the head coach. We try and see this ground also doesn't get damaged,” he added.

It’s worth noting that Fortis has overseen pitches at The Oval for several years and has received awards from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his work throughout the years.

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