“It is in the media to make Gambhir a villain” - Irfan Pathan backs Indian head coach in curator controversy

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has come out in defense of the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was involved in a heated altercation with the Oval chief curator Lee Fortis on Tuesday, July 29.

Ahead of the fifth and final Test against England, Gambhir and the support staff were having a look at the pitch. However, Fortis suggested that they should maintain at least 2.5m distance to have a look at the wicket, which didn’t go down well with Gambhir as he yelled at the curator.

Irfan, on his YouTube channel, has voiced his support for Gambhir, stating that the Oval curator has a track record of being rude with multiple overseas captains and coaches in the past, adding that this wasn’t the first incident involving him.

"When Gautam Gambhir went to look at the pitch, he wore shoes without spikes. That does not cause any damage. That is okay according to the rules. But the curator of The Oval has had a way of being rude with many captains and coaches of overseas teams. This is not the first incident," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel. 

"But it is in the media to make Gambhir a villain. This is going on for long. The curator telling him to go away from pitch is not acceptable. I will not accept this. How will you plan without seeing the pitch? It is a controversy for nothing," he added.

Furthermore, Irfan heaped praise on the Indian team for delivering an exceptional gameplay despite being in the transition. Notably, the veteran duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their Test retirements ahead of the England tour with Shubman Gill taking up the new captaincy role in the transition period.

"They are looking to focus on this controversy and not where the series is. Even though India are 1-2 behind, they have played very good cricket. We have seen the mental and physical Test in these 20 days. We have seen an Indian team in transition winning a Test and playing brilliantly to draw the last one. I am absolutely proud of this team. When a team is in transition, even playing at home is tough. But playing overseas, even if the pitch was flat, India have fought, won and drawn a Test," he observed.

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