Gargi Raut at The Oval
So far, the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has given us gripping cricket, historic wins, heartbreaking losses and everything in between. And now, only a couple days before the final Test at The Oval, another fiery twist has been added to the series. For a series that is already simmering with tension, the moral debate sparked at Lord’s and then Old Trafford has found a new chapter in London.
The “spirit of cricket” is a phrase that is often used in cricket but rarely understood, and even more rarely agreed upon. While it is a romantic concept, it is also subjective.
At the Old Trafford, as the final session drew to a close, Stokes approached R Jadeja and Washington Sundar with an extended hand, asking for the Indian batters to accept a draw and end the contest. But the Indian pair, supported by the dressing room were looking to complete their centuries, chose to keep playing. Then came the sledging. “You really want to score a century against Harry Brook and Ben Duckett?” A jab dressed as a joke, rooted in frustration that did not land well with the Indian team and fans.
Just as the dust from the Old Trafford drama began to settle, Gautam Gambhir lit another fuse. During India’s training session at the Oval, two days ahead of the final Test, cameras caught the head coach in a heated argument with the head groundsman Lee Fortis.
Witnesses heard Gambhir say, “Don’t tell me what to do. I know my job.” Indian batting coach Shitanshu Kotak weighed in on the heated exchange between Gambhir and the head groundsman at The Oval. “The way he spoke was quite arrogant. Everyone knows the curator here isn’t the easiest person to deal with,” Kotak remarked. “We were inspecting the pitch when someone was sent to tell us to stay 2.5 meters away from the wicket, despite us wearing joggers,” he added.
Acknowledging that curators are naturally protective of the square, Kotak said, “What the head groundsman said about our head coach is his personal opinion, and I don’t want to comment on that. But from our side, we did nothing wrong.”
Interestingly, only about an hour before the incident, Brendon McCullum had visited the pitch alongside Rob Key, and Fortis did not seem to raise any objections. Moreover, photos from earlier occasions have now surfaced on social media. The pictures show Fortis casually standing and chatting with the English head coach McCullum right in the middle of the pitch.
So here we are. One Test to go. A trophy hanging in the balance. And a series that refuses to end quietly. Between moral lectures, pointed fingers and broken bones, the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has become one of the most invigorating Test series in the modern era of Test cricket. The ongoing saga with Gambhir and the groundsman only adds to this sense that the series is as much about personalities and power-plays off the field as it is about cricket on it. In this light, the trophy is almost secondary to the drama unfolding beneath it.
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