‘Gambhir could’ve used better words’ – Hayden on coach’s spat with Oval curator

After leading an inexperienced Indian side to a 2-2 tie with England in the five-match Test series, Gautam Gambhir responded appropriately to some of his critics. With a formidable England team ready to take advantage of the home conditions, few gave India a chance before the tour. But after a thrilling six-run victory in the last Test at The Oval in London, Shubman Gill and company battled fire with fire and were able to level the series.

During one of the practice sessions before the fifth Test, India’s head coach Gambhir and Oval curator Lee Fortis got into a furious argument. The Indian coaching staff was allegedly irritated when Fortis requested that they keep 2.5 meters from the main field area even though they were wearing joggers or shoes with rubber spikes.

After this, Gambhir lost his temper and vented his frustration to the curator.

“You have no authority to tell us what we must do; you don’t tell any of us. “You are nothing more than a groundskeeper,” Gambhir informed Fortis.

Recalling his previous experiences with pitch curators, Matthew Hayden sided with Gambhir. The former Australian opener did, however, point out that the former skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders could have spoken more politely during the dispute.

“I used to meditate while sitting in the centre. Furthermore, I would frequently encounter someone who would advise me to relocate. On the surface, curators can become quite defensive. In England, this is a common situation. This is a bit of a flex; this is my venue, the last Test match, and they’re going to try to make things tough for Gautam Gambhir. However, I believe he has every right to be more subdued. He could have spoken more clearly. The truth is, nonetheless, that his team is attempting to prepare for the most significant Test match’, he stated on ‘All Over Bar The Cricket’.

On that particular day, it was discovered that Ollie Pope, the replacement captain, and the renowned England batsman Joe Root were standing on the pitch, shadow batting.

He possibly could have handled it a bit better if he had given it some thought: Greg Blewett

Participating in the discussion panel, former Australian all-rounder Greg Blewett said that the occurrence was absurd. He concurred with Hayden’s opinions as well, stating that Gambhir might have been more tactful during the argument.

“I concur. Even as a pundit today, when you approach the pitch, everyone says you can’t go close to it, and you say something like, “I don’t have spikes on.” It’s very absurd. I understand your frustration. However, I concur that his use of language was poor. He could have perhaps handled it a bit better if he had given it more thought,” he remarked.