'We have nothing to hide,' says Oval curator Lee Fortis after a heated exchange with Gambhir (Ld)

London, July 29 (IANS) The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis has broken his silence following a fiery on-field confrontation with India head coach Gautam Gambhir, insisting there’s "nothing to hide" ahead of the high-stakes fifth and final Test between India and England.

“It is quite a big game coming up. It is not my job to be happy with him (Gambhir) or not. I have never met him before today. You saw what he was like this morning. It's okay, I am fine. We have nothing to hide,” Fortis told reporters, addressing the altercation during India’s training session on Tuesday.

The verbal spat, which occurred as Indian bowlers were marking their run-up areas in the nets, quickly escalated in full public view. Gambhir, known for his passionate demeanour, was seen shouting at Fortis while pointing fingers at the ground staff. The exact reason for the clash remains unclear, but reports suggest the dispute may have been over pitch conditions.

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had to step in to defuse the situation, escorting Fortis away while Gambhir continued to argue from a distance. The incident, captured on video, quickly went viral on social media, adding to the tension surrounding the Test series finale.

India, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, arrived in London just a day earlier after a gutsy draw in Manchester. The team was welcomed at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commission, where Gambhir delivered a passionate speech reflecting on the series.

The heated exchange is the latest flashpoint in a series filled with emotional flare-ups — from Shubman Gill’s displeasure at England’s delayed re-entry at the Lord’s, to the standoff at Old Trafford where Ben Stokes and his team bristled after Indian batters refused an early handshake, prioritising their centuries instead.

With the series on the line and tempers already flaring, the final Test at The Oval, starting on Thursday, promises to be a charged affair both on and off the field.

--IANS

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