Legendary Australian batter Matthew Hayden has reflected on Gautam Gambhir’s infamous altercation with the Oval pitch curator ahead of the fifth Test between India and England.
It was during a practice session before the fifth Test that Gambhir had a heated exchange with pitch curator Lee Fortis. The Indian head coach was heard telling Fortis, “You don’t tell any of us what we need to do. You have no right to tell us, you’re just a groundsman, nothing more,” while pointing his finger at the chief curator during the heated exchange.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak then stepped in, guiding Fortis aside for a brief conversation to diffuse the situation.
Hayden gave his take on the matter after the series ended in a 2-2 draw with India emerging victorious at the Oval. The legendary Aussie batter asserted that the Indian head coach could have toned down his language, but acknowledged that the curator appeared to be asserting his authority over the Oval as his home turf.
“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,” he said on ‘All Over Bar The Cricket’.
“Gambhir could’ve probably handled it a little better”
During the same discussion, former Australian all-rounder Greg Blewett also shared his views on the matter and said that sometimes the curator’s behaviour is ridiculous, and he also gets frustrated as a commentator.
“I agree. Even now, even as a commentator, you get near the pitch and everyone is saying you can’t get anywhere near it and you’re like I haven’t got spikes on. It is quite ridiculous. I get the frustration. But I agree that the language that he used wasn’t great. If he reflects, he could have probably handled it a little better,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Indian team didn’t give much air to the controversy and focused on the match as they put up an exemplary show to beat England by 6 runs on the final day and draw the series 2-2.