Pitch Controversy Erupts Before Final Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Match

While the Indian cricket team toured England, there was a big fight between head coach Gautam Gambhir and 'The Oval' pitch curator in advance of the final match of the just-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Following this fight, Australian legend Matthew Hayden took out his ire on the Indian coach, wherein he mentioned that he could have used more appropriate words while communicating with the curator. He should have been a little soft-natured.

After Matthew Hayden's statement came to light, former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar supported Gautam Gambhir for arguing with 'The Oval' pitch curator Lee Fortis. He said, being the head coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir had the full right to see the pitch closely. When teams come to India for a tour, not only the captain and coach but the entire team inspects the pitch closely. ..how can the rules be different when we are playing in England.

During this, Vengsarkar lashed out at former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden and said, would Hayden or any Australian player have taken it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the field before an important match. If this had happened to Australian players, they would have used the most selective words to show the curator his place.

Matthew Hayden had targeted Gautam Gambhir for arguing with the pitch curator of 'The Oval'. He had said that curators can be defensive about pitches. This is common in England because it is their own ground.. in such a situation, they will create problems for Gautam Gambhir. At the moment, I think he should have been gentle in his language. The reality is that his team wanted to practice before an important match.