Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen to turn a blind eye to Kennington Oval curator Lee Fortis while practicing before the fifth and final Test beginning on Thursday, July 31. Fortis approached Gambhir in the viral clip, but Gambhir appeared to turn his back and did not reply. Fortis chatted with Indian Test captain Shubman Gill instead. Gambhir later passed by the curator without even glancing at him. Watch here: When Lee Fortis met Gautam Gambhir again…#ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/rw9JLgqD8N — Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) July 30, 2025 Previously, Gambhir was engaged in a furious outburst with Fortis during India's practice session at The Oval on Tuesday, July 29. The incident is said to have occurred when Fortis directed Indian officials to keep a distance of 2.5metres away from the central square and complained about equipment being rolled over it. The controversy has set the internet abuzz, fueled by a revived image of Fortis on the field standing alongside England coach Brendon McCullum in 2023 - fuelling double-standard allegations. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak acted to mediate the angry confrontation and came to the team's defense, pointing out that they wore joggers, not spikes, and were careful not to scar the surface. Here is what Kotak told reporters: "When we were looking at the pitch, they asked us to stand 2.5m away. We were wearing joggers. It was very odd. Looking at the wicket with rubber spikes, nothing wrong. We see the ground is not damaged. It's a pitch, not antique," "The curator yelled at support staff when they were getting ice box. Gambhir objected to that. The way he spoke irked Gambhir. Everyone knows the curator at The Oval is not the easiest person to deal with," Kotak added. India are facing a needtowin fifth Test to tie the series against England, with them being 21 behind as they head into the final. India will count on coming back onto the field with the likes of Akash Deep and possibly Arshdeep Singh to produce the 20 needed wickets with England missing some of their premier players in Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. England Lead 2-1, Make Key Changes for Final Test Discussing the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, the series has been a rollercoaster ride for both groups of supporters till date. Host England started the series in style by winning the first game by five wickets. The Indians once more flipped things round in style and recorded an all-time win in the second Test at Edgbaston. The third Test again favoured England, and the fourth Test at Manchester was a drawn game. The series is 2-1 in England's favour now, and even a draw at The Kennington Oval will result in their winning the series. In the meanwhile, the Shubman Gill-led squad must win the forthcoming match against the Ollie Pope-led squad, if they do not want to suffer the shame of a series defeat. The hosts have already finalized their Playing XI for the forthcoming match, with Ben Stokes having missed out on the match due to a shoulder injury. There are three more changes to the England squad other than Stokes, as the pace duo of Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer have been withdrawn, while Liam Dawson also walked out. The four players who took the place of the departing ones are Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, and Jacob Bethell.