Kumble to undergo surgery on Wednesday

Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble will undergo surgery to his broken jaw on Wednesday in his hometown of Bangalore.

"The surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday morning, soon after he returns home," Indian team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus said on Monday.

"We did not want him to wait for much longer."

Kumble been ruled out for the rest if the series after being hit by a rising delivery from pace bowler Mervyn Dillon on Saturday but came on to bowl wreathed in bandages on Sunday, sending down 14 overs and picking up the prize wicket of Brian Lara.

"What he did yesterday was really brave," Leipus said. "We would have liked him to bowl today if he felt up to it but the flight schedule was such that he had to leave this afternoon."

Leipus said Kumble would take about two weeks to get back on the cricket field after the injury and said the bowler would be available for selection for India's test and one-day tour of England starting at the end of June.

"They are going to put in a plate to hold the jaw together but he is definitely going to be fit for the England tour," Leipus said.

"We could have brought him back to West Indies for the one-dayers at the end of May but thought that would be cutting it a bit fine."

Kumble said he bowled on Sunday because he wanted to try his best for India.

The 31-year-old, India's most successful current bowler with 319 wickets in 70 Tests, was left out of the last two matches for off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

He grabbed all 10 Pakistani second-innings wickets at New Delhi in 1999 to equal the world record of England's Jim Laker and set up a memorable series-levelling win.

Mail Cricket Editor