'Still in the Colonial Era?': Irfan Pathan blasts bias after Gautam Gambhir’s pitch row

Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis.

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir reportedly found himself in a tense exchange with Lee Fortis, the head groundsman at Surrey, during the team’s training session at The Oval ahead of the fifth and final Test against England. The disagreement arose when Fortis asked Gambhir to maintain a distance of 2.5 meters while he was examining the pitch set to host the concluding match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

It is standard practice for head coaches and team captains to assess the pitch in the lead-up to a Test match to help inform strategy and finalize playing XIs. However, this particular interaction sparked debate, with former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan openly questioning the inconsistency in treatment.

“So an English coach can walk onto the pitch to inspect it? but an Indian coach can’t? Are we still stuck in the colonial era?" Pathan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

So an English coach can walk onto the pitch to inspect it? but an Indian coach can’t? Are we still stuck in the colonial era?

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 29, 2025

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Pathan elaborated on what he sees as a “manufactured controversy,” suggesting it was aimed at diverting attention from India’s strong showing in the series.

Pathan clarified that Gambhir was wearing rubber-spiked shoes during the inspection, which are not harmful to the pitch surface compared to those with metal spikes.

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“This curator has a history of being rude," Pathan said. “There are several instances of him being behaving in such a way with overseas teams’ captains and coaches. This isn’t the first time. The process of Gambhir being villainised has been going on in the media for a long time now."

Pathan further criticized what he sees as unequal treatment of visiting teams, pointing out an instance where Fortis was photographed with England head coach Brendon McCullum standing on the same pitch just two days before a match.

“We end up laying red carpet for the visiting teams in India. When we go overseas, we follow the rules and it’s something nobody should have a problem with. There’s a photo on Twitter of the same curator standing with Brendon McCullum (England coach) on the same pitch two days before a match. Gambhir also went two days before. How can you then deny him? England’s coach is allowed but not Indian. It feels we are still living in the 1947 era. I cannot accept this (double-standard).”

Pathan also underscored the importance of physically examining the surface ahead of a game.

“If you won’t get to inspect the pitch, how will you plan for the game? You have to get a feel of the pitch by touching it – how hard it is, is there moisture in it? You can’t have that by staring from 2.5 meters. This was an unnecessary controversy," he added.