This is one place where wishing the Indian team by saying "Break a leg" is strictly forbidden. "Health Check" takes you into the hitherto-unexplored realms of Andrew Leipus and Adrian Le Roux. Keeping weekly tabs on the aches and pains, or hopefully lack thereof, of the Indian team, "Health Check" gives you the complete low-down on the fitness levels of the touring side.

Anil Kumble and the real jaw-breaker

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There may have been less blood and death, but for India, Antigua's enactment of "Jaws" was just as horrific as Steven Spielberg's epic. Mervyn Dillon, bowling on a benign pitch, managed to get one delivery high enough to sneak under Anil Kumble's grill and break his lower jaw. Kumble spat blood and received some on-field treatment, but when he departed after getting out, few would have suspected the real gravity of his injury.

Drs Saumitro Sengupta and Raj Kumar Jamula, summoned to tend to the leg-spinner, took an X-ray that revealed a fracture. "We immediately minimised the movement of the broken jaw. We could have sent him to Miami, and he could have been fit within seven days, but a small plate would have been pushed in from outside the jaw," said Dr Jamula. "Kumble could have played after that."

"It was a complete fracture of the lower jaw, and our immediate concern was to stabilise the fracture," said Dr Sengupta, practicing in Antigua for a decade now. "We bonded the lower jaw with plastic cement."

But when Kumble saw the progress of the West Indian innings and the turn that Sachin Tendulkar was getting, his leg-breaking fingers started to itch. Accordingly he gave instructions for his jaw to be strapped up and strode onto the field, ready, after being dropped for two games, to do fierce battle.

"When I saw him take the field, with the bandage wrapped around his face, I could not believe it. Believe me, I just stood looking at this true soldier of Indian cricket," said Ganguly. "When he told me that he wanted to bowl, I just handed over the ball and could not help saying 'Go at them.' It was such an unbelievable incident. We had heard about heroics; here was a burning example".

Kumble captured the wicket of Brian Lara and almost had captain Carl Hooper on two occasions. Any movement of the jaw pained him, but that did not stop Kumble from appealing vociferously to give India any edge he could. That may well have aggravated the injury, as physiotherapist Andrew Leipus confirms.

After 14 overs of sharp bowling, Kumble gave in to medical counsel and repaired to the confines of the pavilion. The next day saw him depart for Bangalore, where he is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday. But doctors favour Kumble's chances to return to the fray for India's tour of England.

"He should be back in full action after two weeks," surgeon Kishore Nayak said. "In fact, he can even start training in three or four days, although we will advise him to rest." Kumble himself seemed philosophically accepting of his condition. "I am disappointed, but it is part and parcel of the game," he said.

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