Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has defended head coach Gautam Gambhir after he got into a heated verbal altercation with Surrey’s head groundsman Lee Fortis. Gambhir was seen pointing his finger at the curator during the heated exchange. As per reports, the altercation broke out when Lee Fortis expressed his unhappiness with India standing near the protected section of the main square. Meanwhile, Sitanshu Kotak speaking on the matter said that Curators need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people

“When we went to see the wicket, (the) coaches were standing, and then one of the ground staff came and asked us to stand 2.5 metres away from it. Which was little surprising. Because, It's a cricket wicket, there's a five-day test starting the day after, and we were wearing joggers. So it was a bit awkward. Kotak said during the press conference. 

“We all have been on the ground playing so much cricket. We know curators are a little over-protective, or possessive about the square and the ground. But I think just looking at the wicket, wearing rubber spikes - day after there is a Test match on it - there is nothing wrong. Curators also need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people. So, for example, if you go on the ground now where we practised, you won’t even see that any bowlers in the outfield would have marked with their spikes. And that call comes from the head coach;we’ll try to see that this ground also should not get damaged.”

"When you're working with very intelligent and highly-skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant or if you come across like… you can be protective, but at the end of the day, it is a cricket pitch. It is not an antique where you can't touch, because otherwise if it is 200 years old, it can be broken.

"You tell me a day after a batsman will be sliding to survive a run-out, a bowler will be sliding to stop the ball, so you tell me; maybe he [Fortis] is thinking we are trying to grow the grass. I mean, I don't know. He said that we are trying to get this grass [on] the next wicket to the centre wicket. I don't know how much grass will grow in one day and what will happen in the next five days. You want your ground to be good, the square to be good, but end of the day it is a cricket pitch."

The fifth and final Test between India and England will begin on Thursday at The Oval. The fifth Test is very crucial for India in order to draw the series, while England, who are leading the series 2-1, would aim to win it 3-1.