Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis breaks silence after controversial spat with Gautam Gambhir

The Actual Incident: What Happened at Oval

On 29th July, during India’s training season before The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy's 5th test match, Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill came for the pitch’s inspection, but Lee Fortis, who was the groundman (curator) of the Oval, interfered with the inspection process. The intervention didn’t go well. Gautam Gambhir, who got disturbed and took out his anger on Lee Fortis.

At first, when Lee saw Gautam and Shubman, he said, “Please stand 2.5 meters away from the pitch”. It was just a normal rule so that no damage could take place during the inspection. Gambhir, who was already busy with inspection, reacted angrily and replied to Lee Fortis, “You don’t tell us what we need to do… You have no right… You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond that”. Lee found this very sarcastic, and he replied back, which made the matter even more serious. Later, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak came and tried to calm down both of them. He told Lee that they only came for inspection and didn’t want to harm anything

Statements From All Corners

• Sitanshu Kotak - The batting coach of India’s Test team, Sitanshu Kotak, released his statement saying that the curator’s behaviour was possessive and mentioned the pitch, which is not a unique ground that required such restrictions.
• Akash Chopra - The former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra shared a photo on X, showing curator Lee Fortis standing comfortably on the pitch alongside England coach Brendon McCullum just before the Test match. He wrote -  “If that's not hypocrisy, what is?
• Irfan Pathan - The  former Indian cricket and commentator Irfan Pathan supported Gambhir, saying, “The curator telling him to go away from the pitch is not acceptable." Pathan said, “Gambhir wore rubber-spike shoes, which can not harm the pitch as well. This was an unnecessary controversy”.
• Michael Vaughan - The former England captain Michael released his statement in a fun way, saying, “The groundman has become the star attraction of the Oval”. He further added, “So much drama and the game has not even started ye.t”

Lee Fortis Breaks His Silence

A few days after the controversy, Lee Fortis finally broke his silence and released his statement in an interview where he spoke about his challenges as a curator and also mentioned that people made him a villain. 

He said, “I was simply doing my job — protecting the integrity of the pitch before a key Test. I never intended to disrespect anyone. But suddenly, I was being made out to be the villain”. Further, he said, “He (Gambhir) was touchy, maybe a bit bad tempered. But we moved on”.

Lee mentioned that the incident was not as big as people showed on the internet. He said that it was his duty and he was just doing his job, but people made him a villain. 

India’s Victory: What Happened Next?

• After India’s victory in the last Test match, everyone was happy and praised the Oval Stadium’s pitch surface and conditions.
• After a spat with Gambhir, Lee got much hate from cricket fans, but when India won the match, all the hate turned into praises. 

Understanding the Role of a Pitch Curator in Cricket

A curator is the backbone of a match, who is responsible for taking care of the pitch surface, maintaining and managing it, which makes a match successful. Here are some key works of a curator.

Pitch Preparation

• Based on weather and upcoming matches, the curator will decide how to manage or prepare the pitch.
• They look for pitch moisture, grass control, and pitch surface.
• They decide where the pitch will suit batters or bowlers.

Monitoring Weather and Ground Conditions

• The curator will monitor when rain can happen and, as on the temperature, they decide to host matches.
• They are responsible for taking care of pitch surfaces.

Maintenance 

• The curator's works will not be limited to pitch only, outside the field. If any maintenance is needed, the curator will be responsible for maintaining the stadium's condition.

Conclusion

The spat between Lee Fortis and Gautam Gambhir is not as big as the internet made it out to be. However, this incident will be a lesson for future generations, and everyone needs to learn from this incident. The quote “you will get what you gave” is the perfect example for this incident. Respect must come from both ways - from the curator who needs to understand the coach's situation and as well as from the coach who needs to understand the duty of the groundman.