Team India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was involved in a heated exchange with the ground staff at The Oval on Tuesday. This happened just two days before the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Indian team arrived in London on Monday and had their first practice session scheduled for Tuesday. However, Gambhir was not happy with the facilities provided to the team.
The disagreement soon turned into a big argument. Gambhir got very angry, pointing fingers at the ground staff and shouting, “You can’t tell us what to do!” The situation became tense. As a result, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and other support staff had to step in to calm things down and separate Gambhir from the ground staff.
Reports say the ground staff at The Oval have threatened to file a complaint against Gautam Gambhir. But he did not seem bothered by this. Instead, he shouted back, “You can go and report to whoever you want, but you can’t tell us what to do.”
The fifth Test match against England starts on Thursday. England is currently leading the series 2-1. For India, this game is very important because they have a chance to level the series.
A few days ago, India managed to draw the fourth Test in Manchester against England. After that match, Gautam Gambhir strongly defended captain Shubman Gill. Some people had questioned Gill’s ability to lead the team, but Gambhir disagreed with them. He said the team is working hard for the common man back home.
A heated conversation between Gautam Gambhir and the Oval curator. pic.twitter.com/EN4m1qJKH2
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 29, 2025
Gambhir explained, “They want to fight for the common man back home. And the way a lot of people had written us off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team.” He also said, “These are players who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country, and they will keep doing that.”
The draw in Manchester happened because of strong batting partnerships. Gill and KL Rahul put together 188 runs. Then, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja added an unbeaten 203 runs. These efforts stopped England from winning the game.
Gambhir also praised Gill, who is leading the Test team for the first time. He said, “There was never any doubt about Shubman Gill’s talent. If someone had doubts, they probably don’t understand cricket.” He added, “Some players take time to get used to international cricket. In this dressing room, no one is surprised by what he’s done on this tour.”
Moreover, Gambhir noted, “Even if he hadn’t done well, we would still believe in his talent. What matters is that he’s meeting his potential. The pressure of being captain doesn’t seem to bother him when he bats. He plays as a batsman, not as a captain.”
The Oval curator, Lee Fortis, was part of the exchange with Gambhir. When asked about it, Fortis said Gambhir was “a bit touchy.” However, he didn’t give many details. He said, “There’s no side of the story. You’ll have to ask him that.” Fortis avoided explaining what happened, saying, “I’m okay. We’ve got nothing to hide here.”
The argument was likely about the practice pitch conditions. Kotak had to step in and talk to Fortis for a long time to settle things. Afterward, Gambhir and Fortis went their separate ways. Gambhir then returned to watch over the team’s net session.
In team news, Arshdeep Singh will play his first Test match at The Oval. This gives India a chance to tie the series with England. As the team gets ready for this big game, Gautam Gambhir’s leadership and the team’s spirit will be key.
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