England's hypocrisy exposed? Oval curator, Brendon McCullum defy '2.5m rule' day after heated Gautam Gambhir spat

The fifth and final Test match between the England and India teams at The Oval has been marred by a contentious dispute. The controversy centres on England's pitch access policy, and claims of hypocrisy are spreading quickly. The trouble started with a confrontation between India’s Head Trainer, Gautam Gambhir, and Lee Fortis, who is in charge of The Oval's pitch. This contrasted with England's coaching staff, who seemed to have more freedom.

During India's training, Fortis apparently told Indian staff to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch, even though they were wearing soft shoes. Gambhir, known for his strong personality, was recorded confronting Fortis, reportedly saying, Don’t tell us what to do. You're just a groundsman. Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, agreed with this, saying he was surprised by the curator's strange and rude behavior, who was also said to shout at Indian support staff for having a cold box close to the pitch.

Double Standards of Oval pitch Curator
The Oval’s chief curator Lee Fortis was telling Indian team and head coach Gautam to stay 2.5 metres away from this pitch. But Brendon McCullum was allowed to chill right in the middle of the pitch #INDvsENG #LeeFortis #ovalstadium#london pic.twitter.com/cCSfmdzr5j

— Nandu Bittu (@BittuNandu) July 30, 2025

To add to this, Aakash Chopra, a former Indian player, shared a telling photo online. It showed Lee Fortis standing on the pitch next to Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, just two days before a Test match in the 2023 Ashes. The conditions were almost the same.

Chopra questioned this difference, asking, Different rules for different people? on X. Irfan Pathan, another former Indian player, also replied, wondering if the unequal treatment meant that we are still stuck in the colonial era?

Reports from the day before show Fortis joking and chatting casually with England's captain, Ben Stokes, and coach, Brendon McCullum, right on the pitch. This was very different from the limitations placed on the Indian team.

The incident has sparked discussions about fairness, sportsmanship, and whether the rules are unfairly applied to visiting teams in England, even though India has decided not to file an official complaint. What is already a pivotal series decider match for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is made more stressful by the argument.

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