Indian batter Shubman Gill came out in support of head coach Gautam Gambhir after a tense exchange with The Ovalโs pitch curator, Lee Fortis, on July 29. The confrontation occurred during a training session ahead of the fifth and final Test against England, which begins on July 31.
Fortis reportedly asked the Indian team management to maintain a distance of 2.5 metres while examining the pitch. However, Gambhir was visibly annoyed and was seen arguing with the curator, allegedly calling him โjust a groundsman.โ
Gill downplayed the incident, saying the team had every right to examine the wicket up close.
โ๐ฐ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐พ๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
No Pitch Access Issues at Other Venues, Says Gill
Shubman Gill further explained that the incident was surprising because no such restrictions were enforced at the previous venues in the seriesโHeadingley, Edgbaston, Lordโs, and Old Trafford.
โ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ ๐ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐,โ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ .
Responding to speculation that Gambhirโs outburst was due to the pressure of India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, Gill disagreed. He stated that the coachโs reaction was not emotionally driven, but a valid response to an unusual request from the curator.
On-Field Heat Doesnโt Affect Off-Field Respect
There have been fiery exchanges between Indian and English players during the series, including an incident where England captain Ben Stokes was visibly upset after Ravindra Jadeja declined a handshake and continued batting to reach his century alongside Washington Sundar.
Despite these incidents, Gill emphasized that the relationship between the teams remains healthy.
โ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ .
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