The pitch dispute ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval has taken a new turn, with Indian batter Shubman Gill breaking his silence and offering a pointed response to the much-publicized spat between head coach Gautam Gambhir and pitch curator Lee Fortis.

The controversy erupted on July 29 when Fortis asked the Indian support staff to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch. Gambhir objected strongly, leading to a heated argument on the field. The incident sparked a broader debate after photos of England players and head coach Brendon McCullum closely inspecting the pitch surfaced, seemingly without any restrictions from the curator — raising concerns over double standards.

Addressing the media on the eve of the Test, Gill dismissed the claim that any such 2.5-meter restriction was ever communicated to the Indian team. "I don’t know what the uproar was about. We’ve been playing cricket for a long time. We can observe the pitch with rubber spikes or barefoot. I don’t understand why the curator stopped us,” said Gill, questioning the inconsistent behavior from ground staff.

The pitch at The Oval has always been known to offer good bounce and assistance to fast bowlers. This time too, England has opted for a green surface and has excluded any specialist spinner from its XI. The home side will go in with four seamers — Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue — indicating their clear strategy to exploit the pitch conditions.