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.

The heart of the matter

Chris Gayle © CricInfo

Craig McMillan and Wasim Akram's diabetic conditions are well-known, but Chris Gayle is probably the only cricketer in the world with a chronic heart condition. When the West Indian opener retired hurt during his team's second innings at Port of Spain, therefore, the commentators and journalists were quick to speculate that his heart was giving him problems.

Fortunately, though, Gayle only seemed to suffer from a case of cramps, especially in his arm. Ricky Skerritt, the West Indian team manager, called it an "electrolyte imbalance" before the start of the fifth day's play; while that phrase did not throw too much light on the situation, it favoured the cramps-theory more than anything else.

The southpaw did resume his innings, making a fine 52 and, along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, putting the West Indian innings back on track after the shock dismissals of Brian Lara and Carl Hooper.

Mervyn Dillon © CricInfo

Fast bowler Marlon Black, in for the injured Mahendra Nagamootoo, experienced some more serious cramping worries of his own. On the first day, Black collapsed on the field from serious dehydration; unable even to walk off on his own, he was carried off to the dressing room on a stretcher.

In a darkly morbid comedy of errors, the stretcher-bearers lost balance while shifting him into the ambulance, dropping the burly man just outside the dressing room before picking him up again. Black spent some time in the hospital replenishing body fluids and salts, returning to the action only during the first session of the second day.

India, meanwhile, had few troubles; if anything, their fielding even picked up from Guyana. The star fielder of Port of Spain, however, was Mervyn Dillon - not for any Jonty-ish catches, but for his obvious commitment. It is hardly easy for a fast bowler to throw himself down repeatedly, especially when he bowls 49.1 overs in a match. But Dillon did just that; some of his saves effected at gully stood out prominently, and they should serve as inspiration to quicks all over the world who are unwilling to hurl themselves about the field.

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