Follow UsTeam India registered a famous victory in the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, but the epic match was preceded by a controversial incident that saw the visiting head coach Gautam Gambhir get into a heated altercation with the head of The Oval groundstaff, Lee Fortis.
Fortis is believed to have told the Indian team to not get close to the pitch, and his words and actions did not go down well with Gambhir, who got into a verbal tussle and chastised the groundsperson. The altercation between the two got caught on camera, and it did not take for the incident to blow up.
In the aftermath of the incident, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden came to the defence of the groundsperson. Hayden, as quoted by the Indian Express, said: “This is a typical case in England. It is a bit of a flex, here we are, final Test match, this is my venue, and they are going to try and make it difficult on Gautam Gambhir.
“But I think he’s got every right to tone it down. He could have used better language. But the reality is, his team is trying to train ahead of the most important Test match.”
However, Hayden’s comments have not gone down well with former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, who has responded to the left-hander’s statement in a typical unfiltered fashion.
“As the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir had every right to see the pitch from close quarters. When teams tour India, their entire squad, not just the captain and coach, examines the pitch minutely. Even their media inspect the pitch before the match. No one tells them anything. So, how are the rules different when we are playing in England?” Vengsarkar told the Mumbai Mirror, reported Indian Express.
“Would Hayden, or any of the Aussie cricketers, take it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the square ahead of an important match? If this had happened to the Aussies, they would have used the choicest words to show the curator his place,” he added.