1983 World Cup-winning star Dilip Vengsarkar has criticised former Australia opener Matthew Hayden for his remarks on Gautam Gambhir’s heated altercation with The Oval pitch curator.
Ahead of the fifth Test, Gambhir had a heated exchange with The Oval curator Lee Fortis during a practice session. The incident quickly went viral, adding extra buzz before the match. However, India won that game and levelled the five-match series 2-2.
After the game, Hayden shared his view, saying the curator seemed determined to make things tough for Gambhir while also advising the Indian coach to be more measured in his approach.
“This is a typical case in England. It is a bit of a flex, here we are, final Test match, this is my venue, and they are going to try and make it difficult on Gautam Gambhir. But I think he’sgot every right to tone it down. He could have used better language. But the reality is, his team is trying to train ahead of the most important Test match,” Hayden said on All Over Bar The Cricket.
But his comments did not go well with Vengsarkar, as he defended Gambhir and criticised the curator for not allowing him to take a close look at the pitch. “As the head coach of the Indian team, Gambhir had every right to see the pitch from close quarters. When teams tour India, their entire squad, not just the captain and coach, examines the pitch minutely. Even their media inspects the pitch before the match. No one tells them anything. So, how are the rules different when we are playing in England?” he told the Mumbai Mirror.
He also questioned how an Australian would have reacted in such a case: “Would Hayden, or any of the Aussie cricketers, take it well if a curator had asked them to stay away from the square ahead of an important match? If this had happened to the Aussies, they would have used the choicest words to show the curator his place,” he said.
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