Anil Kumble is in line for a recall for the fourth Test at Antigua, starting on Friday. Kumble had an unimpressive outing in the first Test at Georgetown, conceding 145 runs in 45 overs for just two wickets, and missed out on the next two matches, in Trinidad and Barbados. Harbhajan Singh took his place for those two Tests, but he was hardly as penetrative as expected, taking just one wicket on a fifth-day track in West Indies' second-innings run-chase at Trinidad. He did, however, manage three first-innings wickets at Bridgetown.

Harbhajan's failures with the bat are likely to count against him too. He bagged a pair in the second Test, and managed 13 and 3 in the third. But more than the lack of runs, his cavalier attitude will have disappointed the Indian camp: he was trapped on the hook twice, and once played casually on to his stumps. On all three occasions, he had a top-order batsman at the other end.

Sourav Ganguly indicated after the Barbados defeat that the lack of runs from the lower-order prevented India from making a match of it; Harbhajan would probably top the list of the tail-enders who threw it away.

Speaking to a leading news agency on Tuesday, Ganguly made it clear that Kumble was back in the reckoning for the next match. "Kumble has been a great performer for India over the years. He will certainly be on our minds when we pick the side for the Antigua Test."

The wicketkeeper's place is up for grabs too. Deep Dasgupta was dropped after the first Test because of his shoddy work behind the stumps, and though Ajay Ratra has kept wicket competently, his skills with the bat fail to inspire confidence - in four innings, he has scored just 16 runs.

"Deep could get a lot of balance to the side because he's a good player," said Ganguly. "We'll have to, however, take a look at the wicket and the conditions before deciding the final playing eleven."

One vexing issue which has sorted itself out is the opening combination. Dasgupta and Sanjay Bangar were tried unsuccessfully, but Wasim Jaffer showed class is striking up a fluent half-century in the third Test. SS Das and Jaffer added 80 in the second innings at Barbados - by far the highest opening partnership of the series. That's one worry less for Ganguly and John Wright.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com India.

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