"It is on in the media of making Gambhir a villain" - Former India cricketer's strong statement on pitch curator ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan defended head coach Gautam Gambhir after the controversy with Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis ahead of the fifth Test against England. He delivered a strong statement on the behavior of the curator with visiting teams and how the media portrays Gambhir.

Irfan pointed out that the Indian coach wore shoes without spikes while looking at the pitch, which is within the rules. He added that Lee Fortis has a history of behaving rudely with visiting teams' captains and coaches.

"When Gautam Gambhir went to look at the pitch, he wore shoes without spikes. That does not cause any damage. That is okay according to the rules. But the curator of The Oval has had a way of being rude with many captains and coaches of overseas teams. This is not the first incident," he said on his YouTube channel. (0:46)

Gambhir was involved in a verbal spat with the curator, who asked the Indian head coach to move away from the pitch ahead of the fifth Test. The incident went viral on social media, becoming a huge controversy in no time.

"But it is on in the media of making Gambhir a villain. This is going on for long. The curator telling him to go away from pitch is not acceptable. I will not accept this. How will you plan without seeing the pitch? It is a controversy for nothing," Irfan added.

The fifth Test begins on Thursday, July 31, and will be played at The Oval. The hosts currently lead 2-1. They will be keen to seal the series while the visitors fight to draw level.

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Irfan Pathan lauds India for their performance in the series

Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan also lauded the young team under a transition period for their performance throughout the series. Despite the visitors being 102 behind, they have played good cricket for the most part.

"They are looking to focus on this controversy and not where the series is. Even though India are 1-2 behind, they have played very good cricket. We have seen the mental and physical Test in these 20 days. We have seen an Indian team in transition winning a Test and playing brilliantly to draw the last one. I am absolutely proud of this team. When a team is in transition, even playing a home is tough. But playing overseas, even if the pitch was flat, India have fought, won and drawn a Test," he said. (3:10)

Irfan added that the visitors' managing to draw the previous Test frustrated England. Shubman Gill and his troops have fought despite players getting injured throughout the series.

They have had issues such as managing the workload of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant being ruled out due to injury. Keeping it all aside, the team stands in a position from where they can level the series and share the spoils.