India, July 30 -- England captain Ben Stokes' press conference on the eve of the fifth and final Test against India came to an abrupt end when the discussion turned towards the ugly spat between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Surrey chief curator Lee Fortis. On Tuesday, Fortis and Gambhir were involved in a heated argument after the former instructed the Indian team's support staff members to maintain a 2.5-metre distance from the main square.

Gambhir lost his cool and repeatedly shouted at Fortis: "You can't tell us what to do" and "You don't tell any of us what to do." Gambhir can also be heard adding, "You're just the groundsman, nothing beyond."

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who played peacemaker, later said that curators...