As India prepare for their final Test against England at The Oval, a heated exchange off the field has drawn attention to a man who is usually behind the scenes: Oval groundsman Lee Fortis.
During India's first training session at the venue during Tuesday, head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen yelling at Fortis in a video widely circulated by the Indian media. The clash reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over pitch inspection protocol.
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According to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, the Oval ground staff had asked the Indian team management to maintain a distance of two and a half metres from the wicket while inspecting it.
This demand did not go down well with Gambhir, who was caught on camera saying, "You don’t tell us what we need to do." Fortis reportedly responded by threatening to raise the matter with the match referee.
Lee Fortis has been Oval's head groundsman since 2012
Lee Fortis has been responsible for the pitch at The Oval for over a decade, taking over as Surrey's Head of Ground Staff in 2012.
Before that, he had served as the assistant head groundsman at the same venue before moving on in 2006 to manage the Honourable Artillery Company ground in central London. His return to The Oval marked the beginning of a highly successful tenure.
Fortis has since built a strong reputation for producing high-quality pitches - especially for multi-day matches.
In 2024, Fortis won the Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy at the ECB Grounds Manager of the Year Awards - for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall. This award is given for the best multi-day pitches across domestic and international cricket in England.
A statement from the Grounds Management Association noted that Fortis and his team "earned consistently outstanding marks" for their County Championship and Test pitches during the 2024 season.