India’s fifth Test against England at The Oval is not even halfway done but there have been enough controversies to fill up a newspaper.
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They began even before the Test started — with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir fighting with and abusing the head groundsman Lee Fortis over some alleged restrictions placed on the Indian team.
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Gambhir was criticised in India, but some accused Fortis of treating home and visiting sides differently.
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On Day 1, Umpire Kumar Dharmasena mistakenly signalled an inside edge during an LBW appeal against Sai Sudharsan, which led England to forgo a DRS review.
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It caused a huge uproar on social media. Former cricketer Sanjay Bangar criticised the error, while umpire Anil Chaudhary defended it as an unintentional mistake made in the flow of the game.
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On Day 2, Akash Deep sparked controversy by putting his arm around Ben Duckett after dismissing him, an act England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick called ‘strange’ and unnecessary.
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Trescothick suggested that many players would have reacted more aggressively to such a gesture. Ricky Ponting was asked if in his time, he’d have punched the bowler and he agreed.
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Soon after Duckett’s wicket, Prasidh Krishna provoked an angry reaction out of Joe Root by telling him he was “looking in great shape,” which ended in an on-field spat between the two.
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Umpire Dharmasena was seen attempting to intervene but was seen being questioned by KL Rahul, who asked if India were not allowed to speak at all.
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Prasidh was heavily criticised on social media and later explained that it was part of India’s plan to unsettle Root but admitted he didn’t expect such a strong response from the England batter.
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Then, just before the close of play, Duckett sparked further controversy by sledging Sai Sudharsan after his dismissal. (PC: X)
Fans on X dropped sarcastic comments in response, believing that Duckett was as deserving of criticism as Prasidh and Akash Deep. The series is coming to its finish line, but there’s no sign of tensions slowing down.
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