Sitanshu Kotak, Team India’s batting coach, disagreed with a remark regarding head coach Gautam Gambhir feeling the heat ahead of the fifth Test against England at The Oval. Kotak confessed that the entire management and support staff are sad that India is down 1-2 in the five-match series, but stressed that Gambhir is not under any pressure.
India’s head coach has been extremely active in England over the last several days. During the press conference following the Manchester Test draw, he responded passionately to questions from the media. On Tuesday, July 29, Gambhir had an argument with Lee Fortis, the pitch curator at The Oval.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Kotak was asked if the Indian head coach is feeling the strain of the visitors falling behind in the Test series. Kotak disagreed calmly and replied:
“I don’t think so. I think it has been a very competitive series and both the teams, to be fair to England also, have played really well. The first Test and the Lord’s Test also could have gone either way. All the Test matches went to the fifth day. It has been an absolutely brilliant Test series so far. Gautam is someone I have never seen under pressure from his playing days to now.
Sitanshu Kotak
“Definitely not under pressure and we wish we would have won the Lord’s game and gone 2-1 up. But, that’s not pressure. That’s just going back and thinking if we could have done something different. That’s nothing about taking pressure.”
Sitanshu Kotak
Team India has been extremely competitive in the series thus far, despite having a youthful squad. They came near to winning the Lord’s Test, but lost by 22 runs.
“Doesn’t Speak Unnecessary Things” – Kotak Backs Gambhir After Oval Pitch Curator Argument
At the press conference on Tuesday, Kotak was asked a number of questions on the Gambhir-Fortis spat. To his credit, the former Saurashtra cricketer handled all of the questions professionally. He also defended Gautam Gambhir for his outburst, explaining:
“Literally, he [Fortis] was saying, ‘you go outside the ropes’ to the head coach and see the wicket. In my cricketing career, I have never seen anyone saying that. It was a strange way of saying you stand away from the wicket. That is what started it. Gautam is someone who doesn’t speak unnecessary things. He doesn’t talk to anyone.”
Sitanshu Kotak
Meanwhile, the fifth and final Test of the India-England series will take place at The Oval from July 31 to August 4.
