India captain Shubman Gill has branded the intervention of Surrey’s chief groundsman Lee Fortis “absolutely unnecessary” ahead of his side’s final Test against England.
Fortis, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s ground manager of the year for the past three seasons, was involved in a heated exchange with India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir as the tourists netted at the Kia Oval on Tuesday.
Tempers frayed with Fortis seemingly concerned about potential damage to the square and Gambhir clearly riled by the incident.
The episode was in keeping with an increasingly bad-tempered series, with several flare-ups at Lord’s and Old Trafford.
“As a captain, I don’t know what it was all about. If a pitch creator is going to come and ask us to not look at the wicket or look at it from three metres behind, that is not something that has happened to us before,” he said.
“As long as I can remember there is no such instruction. If you are wearing rubber spikes or you are bare foot, I think you can see the wicket closely.
“What happened yesterday, I thought, is just absolutely unnecessary. A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket.”
There was no repeat of the spat as India netted on the eve of the match, though Fortis was patrolling the pitch and spoke to members of the coaching staff as they assessed a green-tinged surface that is expected to offer early assistance for the seamers.
Gill had no qualms about the tetchy exchanges between the rival teams, which have encompassed rows over time-wasting, aggressive send-offs and England’s annoyance over India’s refusal to shake hands on an early draw in Manchester.
“I think the relations are fantastic but when you are on the field, you are trying to win a game at the end of the day,” he said.
“Both the teams have been very competitive and sometimes when you are competitive, in the heat of the moment, you do or say things that you might not do (normally). I think once the match is over, there is mutual respect between both the teams.”
India are waiting until the toss to name their team but they are expected to resist the temptation to play star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has played three Tests he was initially earmarked for.
That could mean a debut for left-armer Arshdeep Singh, while wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav may also come into consideration as the tourists seek to draw the series 2-2.
