India, July 30 -- Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel came out in strong support of head coach Gautam Gambhir following his fiery exchange with Lee Fortis, the chief curator at The Oval, during India's training session ahead of the fifth and final Test against England.

Describing Gambhir's reaction as justified, Parthiv said the head coach had "every right to lose it" when Fortis asked the Indian contingent to stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch during their inspection on Tuesday.

"It's unfortunate that kind of incident has happened. But Gautam had all the right of just losing it. As a curator, obviously, you can't go and ask someone not to inspect the pitch," Parthiv told PTI Videos.

Gambhir, a former India opener and known for hi...