India, July 30 -- India's final preparations for the decisive fifth Test took a dramatic turn at The Oval as head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a heated argument with chief curator Lee Fortis near the pitch. The flashpoint came when Fortis allegedly instructed India's support staff to maintain a 2.5-metre distance from the surface. Visibly irked, Gambhir fired back with an explosive rebuke: "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," he said, pointing fingers at Fortis in full public view.

The incident unfolded during India's training session on Tuesday, attended by ten players, with skipper Shubman Gill notably absent. Fortis, who has earned accolades for his mu...