West Indies consolidate amidst high drama The first three days of the Antigua Test showcased some of the most stirring cricket from India in recent times. After Wasim Jaffer made an attractive 86 and Rahul Dravid a competent 91, VVS Laxman and Ajay Ratra took over. Laxman, panned for getting out to loose shots frequently, put his head down to play what Sunil Gavaskar later termed “one of the most beautifully crafted innings I have seen”. After making 130 (244 balls, 14 fours) Laxman played back to a short ball from Merv Dillon and trod on his wicket. At the other end, Ratra, who had previously seemed out of his depths as a batsman, blossomed when least expected to make an unbeaten 115. The record 217-run seventh wicket partnership between the duo saw India declare their innings at 513 for nine on the third morning. When West Indies replied, the recalled Wavell Hinds (65) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (50*) got among the runs. But the real drama in the piece came when Anil Kumble, with a fractured jaw heavily trussed up in bandages, managed to trap Brian Lara in front. West Indies skipper Carl Hooper, who followed, also had a couple of close shaves but he survived to make an unbeaten 26. When stumps were drawn, the West Indies were 187 for 3.

Heroic Kumble contributes his mite It was a heroic decision by Anil Kumble and it yielded a most memorable reward – the prize scalp of Brian Lara. The ace Indian leg-spinner, who fractured his jaw while batting on Saturday, decided to take the field after his face and injured jaw was swathed in bandages. "When he saw Sachin Tendulkar turn the ball he said the wicket has got some rough," Indian physio Andrew Leipus explained. "He asked what we could do to send him out there. He asked what were the chances of further damage. We said if we strapped the jaw together there would be less pain and less chance of injury. He went through his action a few times in the dressing room after we had strapped him up. He felt okay so he went for it." Kumble said that he wanted to make up for the disappointment of being left out of the Port of Spain and the Barbados Tests. "I did not want to leave this opportunity. Outside India I've never had a chance to bowl to a side when we had 500 runs on the board and I thought this was my best chance. It was okay for the first couple of overs, so I just continued," he observed. Leipus and the team-management have not ruled out the possibility of Kumble bowling on Monday also. “If it's not paining and he's up to it, we'll strap him up again and let him go out, but I'm not going to recommend it. When he wakes up in the morning we'll assess his situation,” the Indian physio said. After the Test though Kumble will be flying back home for a much-needed surgery.

Boycott wants to coach Indian colts Geoffrey Boycott might be an Yorkshireman by birth but that hasn’t prevented him from wanting to coach the Indian under-15 side. The legendary England opener, whose batting tips have helped many an Indian player, has expressed this desire to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya. When asked the reason for his interest in the juniors, Boycott said, “There are different strategies for playing on different surfaces. This needs to be mastered from a very young age otherwise it would too late. For the youngsters, learning seems to be easy since they are not used to any established methods. That’s why I want to coach them.” Dalmiya has now referred him to Sunil Gavaskar, who happens to be the current chairman of the National Cricket Academy. Hopefully, we might have a decision soon.

Pithy remarks and quotable quotes straight from the horse's mouth. Click Here Not yet a member of the Internet's most happening cricketing community? Join Stumped, CricInfo's online cricket club. Click Here Get all your cricketing questions answered by CricInfo's resident statsguru. Click Here