Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated verbal exchange with The Oval's chief curator, Lee Fortis, on Tuesday, just two days before the fifth and final Test between India and England. Gambhir was reportedly heard telling Fortis, "you don't tell us what we need to do," while pointing fingers at the groundstaff.

The incident unfolded during India's training session as they prepared for the crucial decider, having staged a remarkable comeback to draw the fourth Test in Manchester.

Videos of the altercation have since gone viral on social media, clearly showing an upset Gambhir in a verbal confrontation with the curator. India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, was seen intervening to de-escalate the situation.

While the precise cause of the argument was not immediately clear, sources suggest Gambhir and Fortis appeared to be disagreeing over the conditions of the practice pitches.

Batting coach Kotak subsequently took Fortis to a corner of the practice arena for a lengthy discussion. Following the intervention, Fortis and Gambhir went their separate ways, with the Indian coach returning to oversee the net session.

Meanwhile, young batter Sai Sudharsan, who recorded a half-century and a duck in the Manchester Test, was among the first to arrive at The Oval for practice. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was also observed putting in significant effort during the training session.