Watch: Tempers flare again! Gautam Gambhir spotted in verbal argument with pitch curator ahead of fifth Test

Tempers have flared again ahead of the fifth Test match between India and England as head coach Gautam Gambhir was spotted in a verbal argument with The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis on Tuesday (July 29). Gambhir and Co., who were at The Oval practicing days before the start of the fifth Test in South London, have landed in a fresh segment of controversy. While there has been no clarity on what the spat was about, the fresh controversy comes just 48 hours after Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja argued over snubbing handshakes and declining an offer for an early draw.

Gambhir in verbal argument with pitch curator

On Tuesday, out for practice, Gambhir was seen exchanging words with Fortis and later pointing out a finger as he lost his cool. He was not pleased with the curator’s reaction while repeatedly speaking and pointing another finger at the pitch. While WION could not verify the reason for the spat, it is reported that Gambhir was not happy with the pitch his team was given to practice on and wanted a better idea of the pitch that could be used during the final Test.

"You don't tell us what to do," Gambhir can be heard re-iterating multiple times. "You can't tell any of us what to do. You are just a groundstaff," he added.

In the video, Gambhir was initially spotted walking away from Fortis, but he still continued to raise his point while Fortis was taken away by one of India’s assistant coaches.

ALSO READ | Ravi Ashwin slams England’s ‘double standards’ over ‘handshake saga’ in Manchester Test

There has been no official word on the spat at the time of writing, but it will be interesting to see if the incident is reported to the officials or not.

Fortis responds

"It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gautam Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It's okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide..." Fortis said when he was interviewed by ANI.

India eye parity in series

Trailing 1-2 in the series, India are in a must-win territory ahead of the final contest of the series. India managed to escape Manchester with a draw, but another similar result will see England clinch the series. The Indian team will heavily rely on the services of Shubman Gill and Co., while they will miss Rishabh Pant, who has already been ruled out of The Oval Test. In 15 matches at the venue, the visitors have won only two matches, while seven other matches have ended in draws.