Oval Curator Lee Fortis 'Done Similar Things In The Past', R Ashwin Says: "Little Bit Of Needle..."

The buildup to the fifth India vs England Test was a particularly heated one as coach Gautam Gambhir clashed with The Oval curator Lee Fortis. During the training session, videos that have now gone viral on social media clearly showed an upset Gambhir getting into a verbal altercation with the curator, prompting India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to intervene and douse the situation. The tiff started when Fortis told Gambhir: "I will have to report this" and to that the Indian head coach replied rather tersely: "You go and report whatever you want to report." Kotak stepped in at this point, took the Englishman to a different corner and said: "We won't damage anything." Other Indian support staff such as bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate were seen listening keenly to the argument.

Now, R Ashwin has said that the Oval curator is a habitual offender.  

"I will not talk about what was said or what was discussed between the two parties. England were under a lot of pressure. This incident was a vehicle to release pressure. I know that groundsman really well, and this is not the first time this has happened. He is a bit like that and has done similar things in the past as well. Why does he do it? I don't know. He is a bit different," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"How can you tell the captain and coach, who are wearing rubber soles. This will add to the flavour. A little bit of needle going into the Test match. It will really help." 

Ashwin was disappointed that Ben Stokes was not playing the fifth Test.

"I am quite disappointed with it (Stokes not playing), actually. We discussed so much about him, and I made two-three points about him. There was a lot of pressure on England leading up to this game. As a cricket fan and someone who likes the entertainment that it provides, I am quite disappointed with the proceedings. A player like Ben Stokes being ruled out for the decider is huge news. It is great news for India," Ashwin said.

"Ben Stokes and Joe Root are the only two people who have kept England alive in this series. If you leave aside the first Test, where Ben Duckett played a fabulous knock, but after that defeat at Edgbaston, it was Root and Stokes who stood up when it mattered," Ashwin added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir The Oval, London England vs India, 2025 Cricket