Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has spoken out about the heated exchange between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval groundsman Lee Fortis during the team’s optional practice session on Tuesday.
What Sparked the Gautam Gambhir, Fortis Argument at The Oval?
The clash reportedly started when Fortis objected to a cooler being brought onto the pitch, according to India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Things escalated when Fortis raised his voice at some members of the Indian support staff, prompting Gambhir to react strongly.
Since the incident, photos of Fortis standing on the pitch with England head coach Brendon McCullum have gone viral, stirring debate online.
Irfan Pathan Defends Gambhir, Questions Double Standards
Weighing in, Irfan Pathan questioned the apparent double standards. “So an English coach can walk onto the pitch to inspect it? But an Indian coach can’t? Are we still stuck in the colonial era?” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Check out the Tweet:
So an English coach can walk onto the pitch to inspect it? but an Indian coach can’t? Are we still stuck in the colonial era?
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 29, 2025
“This Isn’t the First Time”: Pathan on Groundsman’s Past Behaviour
Irfan Pathan also mentioned that Gautam Gambhir was wearing rubber-spiked shoes while checking the pitch. He explained that rubber spikes don’t harm the surface, unlike steel spikes. He said:
“This curator has a history of being rude,” Pathan said. “There are several instances of him being behaving in such a way with overseas teams’ captains and coaches. This isn’t the first time. The process of Gambhir being villainised has been going on in the media for a long time now.”
“We end up laying red carpet for the visiting teams in India. When we go overseas, we follow the rules and it’s something nobody should have a problem with. There’s a photo on Twitter of the same curator standing with Brendon McCullum (England coach) on the same pitch two days before a match. Gambhir also went two days before. How can you then deny him? England’s coach is allowed but not Indian. It feels we are still living in the 1947 era. I cannot accept this (double-standard).”
Gambhir, a former India opener with 58 Test matches under his belt, was seen visibly upset, telling Fortis: “You can’t tell us what to do” and “You don’t tell any of us what to do.” He reportedly added, “You’re just the groundsman, nothing beyond.”
As the conversation continued, Sitanshu Kotak stepped in to calm things down. Fortis then warned that he might file a complaint against Gambhir, to which the coach replied, “You can go and report to whoever you want.”
Speaking later, Kotak said, “At the end of the day, it is a cricket pitch. It’s not an antique where you can’t touch it.”
Incredible footage of a furious Gautam Gambhir involved in a heated exchange with head groundsman of The Oval ahead of 5th Test between India and England pic.twitter.com/QDW7wcwfZW
— News18 CricketNext (@cricketnext) July 29, 2025
Tensions between India and England have been mostly under control this series, though there have been moments of friction, like the time-wasting controversy involving Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett during the third Test at Lord’s. Things also got tense at the end of the fourth Test, when England captain Ben Stokes was visibly annoyed after Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar declined his offer of an early handshake, both trying to reach personal milestones.
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