India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir found himself at the center of controversy after being involved in a heated exchange with a groundsman at The Oval, just days before the decisive fifth Test of the ongoing India vs England 2025 series.
A video circulating online captured Gambhir visibly irritated, saying statements like:
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.” “𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐.”
The exact reason for the confrontation remains unconfirmed, but early speculation suggests the dispute may have stemmed from pitch-related concerns.
Flat Pitches and Soft Balls: Frustration Mounts
Throughout the series, there has been increasing chatter around the condition of the pitches and the Dukes ball. The Indian camp, along with many former players and experts, have voiced concern over the batting-friendly nature of the tracks, which have led to high-scoring matches and little assistance for the bowlers.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆,” 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚.
Additionally, captains from both sides have pointed out issues with the Dukes ball frequently going out of shape, affecting the rhythm and effectiveness of seamers.
Series So Far: England Leads 2-1
As for the series standings, England currently holds a 2-1 lead:
- 1st Test (Headingley): England won by 5 wickets
- 2nd Test (Edgbaston): India bounced back with a massive 336-run win
- 3rd Test (Lord’s): England edged past India by 22 runs
- 4th Test (Old Trafford): A thrilling draw after India’s second-innings resistance
Now, all eyes are on The Oval, where India will need a win to level the series and avoid a third straight Test series defeat.
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