India push back against cricket’s double standard
What should have been a routine pitch inspection before the final Test between England and India spiralled into a public spat, revealing tensions beneath cricket’s genteel surface. At the centre were India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Oval’s head groundsman Lee Fortis, described on BBC Radio as “an imposing 6-foot-8.” Fortis reportedly objected to Indian support staff approaching the pitch during training, and even blocked an ice-box from being moved across the square. Gambhir, visibly irked, is said to have snapped, “You don’t tell us what to do. You’re just a groundsman.”
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak later downplayed the clash, commenting drily: “It’s a cricket pitch, not an antique you can’t touch.” He added that the players had worn rubber-soled joggers and no damage had been done.
More striking than the Oval exchange was a quieter but more calculated moment earlier in the series — when England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett delayed their return to the field at Lord’s on Day 3 of the third Test. With just over seven minutes left to play, the delay meant only one over could be bowled instead of two, robbing India of the chance to use their fresh new ball against exposed batsmen.
There was no medical emergency, no equipment malfunction — just an absence of urgency. And yet, no outrage followed. Commentators described it as “gamesmanship.” Match officials offered a warning, but England’s press corps treated the matter with shrugs rather than scrutiny.
At Old Trafford, meanwhile, England’s frustration over their inability to bowl out India spilled over when Ben Stokes offered to end the game early but India’s batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar — both in the 80s — opted to play on, hoping for their centuries. In truth, it looked more like sour grapes from a side losing control of the match.
These incidents reveal a familiar pattern: Indian players and coaches are expected to adhere to an unspoken code of deference, while similar or worse actions by the hosts are reframed as clever strategy or cricketing instinct.
This isn’t about grass or etiquette. It’s about tone — about the lingering assumption that Asian visitors must be “managed” or “corrected,” rather than treated as equals in the global game.
India, however, is no longer a visitor in cricket’s corridors of power. It is the cornerstone. It fuels the sport financially and competitively. And with that status comes the right to equal respect — not just from opponents, but from match officials, curators, and institutions that still carry faint traces of colonial hauteur.
As the fifth Test begins, England lead the series 2-1. The contest has been thrilling, with momentum shifting back and forth. India has shown resilience and poise despite the undercurrents of hostility. One hopes the final Test is remembered for brilliance with bat and ball and not petty altercations or clashing egos. But the message is clear: courtesy cannot be one-sided. And respect, like good cricket, must be played on level ground.
Sports