Two England players, Ollie Pope and Joe Root, were spotted shadow-batting on The Oval pitch on Wednesday, July 30, just one day after a dispute between India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and curator Lee Fortis. The disagreement centered around an alleged 2.5-metre rule.
Photos shared by journalist Sahil Malhotra on social media platform X showed Pope and Root practicing shadow batting on the pitch where the fifth Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is set to begin on Thursday, July 31. This was notable given the heated argument Gambhir had with curator Fortis the previous day.
Reportedly, Gambhir and his team were told to keep off the pitch when they tried to inspect it ahead of the match. Fortis allegedly instructed Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to maintain a distance of at least 2.5 metres from the pitch during their inspection on Tuesday, which sparked a heated argument between the curator and India’s head coach.
However, photos of the two England players shadow-batting on the pitch the following day raised questions about Fortis’ earlier instructions. You can view the pictures here:
England batters shadow batting on the pitch. No 2.5m rule for hosts? pic.twitter.com/wOZqiG00I7
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) July 30, 2025
India Trails 1-2 In Five-Match Series With One Test Remaining
England lead the five-match series 2-1, having won the first Test in Leeds and the third Test at Lord’s. India claimed victory in the second Test at Birmingham and fought back to secure a heroic draw in the fourth Test at Manchester. In the fourth Test, India batted first and posted a respectable total of 358 runs.
England responded strongly, amassing 669 runs, highlighted by Joe Root’s brilliant 150 and Ben Stokes’ 141. India faced early difficulties in their second innings, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the very first over. Despite this shaky start, the Indian team mounted a remarkable comeback.
Centuries from captain Shubman Gill (103), Ravindra Jadeja (107*), and Washington Sundar (101*), along with a determined 90 from KL Rahul, helped India secure a comfortable draw and extend the series to a deciding final Test.
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