Follow UsJust days before The Oval Test, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen in a verbal tussle with Kennington Oval’s chief curator, Lee Fortis. It wasn’t a pleasant viewing experience, as Gambhir was seen hurling verbal volleys at Fortis over a small incident.
Furthermore, the Indian head coach was also seen stating, “You are just a groundsman” to Fortis, which triggered responses on social media. In the same clip that went viral, Fortis was later seen warning Gambhir to stop swearing or risk being reported.
“You stop it. You don't tell us what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You're just a groundsman—stay in your capacity. Nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman,” Gambhir told Fortis, as reported by ESPNCricinfo.
While it seemed like that rift was in the past, Fortis has reopened that chapter, stating that he was made the ‘villain’ in the eyes of the fans and cricketers. It was one of the best surfaces on offer in the entire Test series, as there was a close contest between the bat and the ball.
“Well, I was never the villain; I was made into one. Hope you guys enjoyed the show, and the atmosphere was like the IPL. It was a great game,” Fortis said.
India won The Oval Test by six runs, and levelled the series 2-2, as the two teams shared the first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
*Cover image courtesy: Sandipan Banerjee