‘It’s a cricket pitch, not an antique!’ — Sitanshu Kotak defends Gautam Gambhir in row with Oval groundsman

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‘It’s a cricket pitch, not an antique!’ — Sitanshu Kotak defends Gautam Gambhir in row with Oval groundsman


India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shed light on the altercation between head coach Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis, the head groundsman at The Oval. Gambhir was seen exchanging angry words with Fortis during India’s option training session on Tuesday, July 29, two days out from India’s fifth Test against England.

Kotak indicated that the tone used by Fortis, as well as his instructions that the Indian support staff should stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch, caused the flare-up.

‘Go and stand 2.5 metres away’

“We were standing on the pitch and looking at it, and one of the ground staff came and told us to stand 2.5 metres away from it,” Kotak said. “In my cricketing career, I’ve never seen anybody saying that. He was literally telling the head coach to go outside the rope (that cordons off the pitch). I don’t know how you can see it (from there). 

“If somebody is rubbing his shoes or trying to put something in the pitch or wearing spikes – then it’s fine. But it was very strange the way he said, ‘You go and stand 2.5 metres away from here’. I think that is what started it.”

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Kotak pointed out that everyone was wearing joggers, shoes without any spikes and with rubber soles, and said Fortis needed to understand that they were taking great care to not damage any part of the ground.

“We know curators are a little over-protective, or possessive about the square and the ground. But I think just looking at the pitch, wearing rubber spikes – day after there is a Test match on it – there is nothing wrong,” Kotak said. “Curators also need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people. So for example, if you go on the ground now where we practised, you will see that no bowler has even marked the outfield with his spikes. And that call comes from the head coach, that we’ll try to see that this ground also should not get damaged.”

‘It’s a cricket pitch, not an antique’

Fortis was unhappy with the Indian contingent being on the square, and apparently told them they were trying to grow grass on the pitches adjacent to the one that is going to be used for the fifth Test. However, with a whole Test match to be played on the ground, Kotak questioned the wisdom of that.

“Day after tomorrow, a batsman will be sliding to survive a run-out, a bowler will be sliding to stop the ball,” Kotak pointed out. “I mean, I don’t know how much grass will grow in one day. And what will happen in the next five days? You want your ground and your square to be good, but at the end of the day, it is a cricket pitch… It is not an antique where you can’t touch because it is 200 years old and it can be broken!”

History of trouble with groundsman?

Kotak also indicated that there was a history of visiting teams not finding Fortis easy to get along with.

“If you want me to be very honest, before coming to The Oval, most of the team knew that the curator is not the easiest person to get on with. So that gives lots of answers,” he said.

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The eventual altercation between Gambhir and Fortis took place later. Kotak alleged that Fortis spoke less-than-politely to a member of the support staff who was bringing a water cooler box to the centre.

“When we were getting the cooling boxes to the middle, he was sitting on the roller and he shouted at the support staff to not take it there. Now, as per me, that cooling box can’t weigh more than 10 kgs. And we who are walking there… (are heavier),” Kotak explained. “So at that time Gautam told him to not speak to our support staff like that. Any head coach will not want his staff to be shouted at, so it was very normal (Gautam’s response). Then he (Fortis) came to where we were. I think it got built up from the time we went to see the pitch.”

Surface similar to first three Tests

Having had a look at the playing surface, Kotak felt it was similar to the ones for the first three Tests of this five-match series. 

“It is a bit similar to the first three Tests,” Kotak said. “Manchester (fourth Test venue) had a bit lesser grass, but the other three venues had it, and this is the same. There is some moisture. But every ground and soil has its own characteristics. Here, it’s said there is good bounce, there is early movement, and after that, there are runs too. But again, we see data from 2019 onwards, and we are playing the match in 2025. So we’ll know how it is only when we play.”

The fifth Test starts on Thursday, July 31. England are leading 2-1 in a hard-fought and tightly contested series. A win for India will square the series, while a draw or a win for England will make them series victors.


India vs England Test series, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Lee Fortis, The Oval, India England fifth Test, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak
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