ENG vs IND fifth Test | Don’t know why the curator would not allow us to examine the surface: Gill

There have been several intense moments between India and England in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

However, India captain Shubman Gill made it clear that there was no animosity between the players off the field.

While Gill got into an argument with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley at Lord’s, Ben Stokes extended a handshake to Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to end the Old Trafford game in a draw when they were inching closer to their centuries.

Things spiced up further on Tuesday as India head coach Gautam Gambhir had a heated exchange with The Oval chief curator Lee Fortis.

While Gill supported Gambhir, he downplayed the other incidents. Gill’s comments came in the wake of Stokes’ statement that England had moved on from the handshake episode.

“These are three very separate moments, not correlated at all. I have already explained what happened at Lord’s and even regarding the last match. What happened yesterday [Tuesday] was absolutely unnecessary. It’s not the first time that we have had a look at the wicket. A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the square. And I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with that,” Gill said.

“I actually don’t know why the curator would not allow us to go examine the surface. A pitch creator asking to look at the wicket from three metres behind has not happened to us before.

“We have been playing cricket for such a long time, and as long as you are wearing rubber spikes or you are barefoot, you are allowed to look at the wicket from close quarters. And that is the job of the coach and the captain,” Gill added.