India captain Shubman Gill said the head groundsman at The Oval had sparked an "unnecessary" row with coach Gautam Gambhir following the latest flashpoint in a fractious series against England.
Gambhir shared terse words on Tuesday with Lee Fortis at The Oval, the London venue for the fifth test.
India trail 2-1 in the series ahead of the deciding match, which starts on Thursday.
Former India batsman Gambhir was caught on camera wagging his finger as Fortis towered over him, repeatedly stating: "You can't tell us what to do."
Gambhir was also heard adding: "You're just the groundsman, nothing beyond."
Surrey groundsman Fortis is understood to have been keeping a protective eye on the playing area during India's practice session, with plenty of cricket still to be played on it this season.
But India have insisted they simply wanted to have a look at the pitch and had done nothing to spark any kind of reaction from Fortis.