'Don't know why...' Indian skipper Shubman Gill opens up on Gambhir-Curator drama ahead of 5th Test vs ENG

India's captain, Shubman Gill, defended the head coach Gautam Gambhir when asked about the argument with pitch curator Lee Fortis on Tuesday. What started as a normal discussion turned into a fight between Gambhir and Fortis at the Kennington Oval, London. The head coach wasn't allowed to go near the pitch despite wearing the right shoes. 

The incident happened in the morning during India's practice session when Gambhir wanted to inspect the pitch. However, due to the interference of the curator, the matter escalated. Gill spoke about the incident during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"As long as I can remember, there has been no such instruction (of staying 2.5 metres away). As long as you're wearing rubber spikes or are barefoot, you can get a close look at the pitch. I don't know what happened yesterday. Why did the curator stop us? We have played four matches here, and no curator has given us such instructions. And we have watched and played enough cricket. We have inspected the pitch multiple times, I don't know what the fuss is all about," Gill said in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

The fifth match of the 5-match Test series is set to start tomorrow, July 31. England are leading the series, so they'll be hoping for a better performance from the team. However, they'll miss Ben Stokes who is ruled out due to a shoulder injury. The hosts have included four players into the playing XI including Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton. ,The hosts have included four players in the playing XI, including Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton.