LONDON: Captain Shubman Gill threw his weight behind Gautam Gambhir following his fiery exchange with The Oval's chief curator Lee Fortis, firmly asserting that the Indian coach is well within his rights to inspect the square.
During India's training session on Tuesday, Fortis reportedly asked the Indian coaching staff to stay 2.5 metres away from the main pitch square, despite them wearing joggers or rubber spiked shoes, prompting frustration from the Indian camp.
Gambhir was heard saying "You don't tell any of us what we need to do you have no right to tell us. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond."
When Gill was asked about the tiff on the eve of the final Test, the skipper replied "What happened yesterday was unnecessary."
"Coach has every right to look at the wicket. Don't understand why curator won't allow that. As long you are wearing rubber spike or are bare feet (it should not be a problem). Don't know why he said no. There was no such issue in the last four games," he added.
Incidentally on the day, leading English players like batting mainstay Joe Root and strand-in skipper Ollie Pope were found standing on the match pitch doing shadow batting.