India captain Shubman Gill hits back at Oval groundsman over pitch confrontation
India captain Shubman Gill hit back at The Ovalโs head groundsman Lee Fortis after an altercation on the field during practice ahead of their fifth Test against England.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir clashed with Fortis over Indiaโs use of the square during their training session, after the groundsman was unhappy with Gambhir and Gill for getting up close to the wicket which was being prepared for the match that begins on Thursday.
โYou stop it, you donโt tell us what we need to do,โ Gambhir said during the incident. โYou donโt tell us what we need to do, OK? You donโt tell any of my squad what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You are just a groundsman. You stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond.โ
Fortis was later questioned about the altercation, hinting that tensions simply boiled over with the crucial fifth Test on the horizon.
โI donโt want to say anything,โ he told Indian media. โThereโs quite a big game coming up, isnโt there. Itโs not my job to be happy with him. I donโt know the man, Iโve never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. Thereโs nothing to speak about, thereโs nothing to hide here.โ
Speaking at The Oval on Wednesday, Gill said Fortisโs interjection was โabsolutely unnecessaryโ.
โWe have been here [in England] for almost two months and a coach has every right to have a look at the wicket. I donโt understand why we couldnโt look at the pitch closer than three metres. Itโs not something that has happened before. Weโve been playing cricket all around the world for many years and itโs never happened. Thatโs the job of the coach and the captain, so I donโt see why he didnโt allow us to do that.โ
England currently lead the series 2-1 going into the final Test match, but they will be without captain Ben Stokes after he withdrew with a shoulder injury.
Stokes refused to be drawn on the latest incident in what has been a series coloured by animosity between the two camps.
โI donโt know what happened,โ Stokes said, before his press conference ended abruptly.
