ST JOHN’S (Antigua), May 13: Skipper Carl Hooper cracked an unbeaten 72 as West Indies, needing 314 to avoid following-on, were cruising at 266 for four at lunch on the fourth day of the fourth Test against India Monday.

Hooper, looking for his third century of the series, shared in a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket with left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was on a breezy 28.

The 35-year-old Hooper struck 233 for his maiden Test double century in the first Test at Georgetown and then scored 115 in the third Test at Barbados, which West Indies won by 10 wickets to level the series 1-1 after India had won the second Test at Trinidad by 37 runs.

West Indies, replying to India’s 513 for nine declared, resumed on their overnight 187 for three but lost Ramnaresh Sarwan early on for 51.

Sarwan, who had reached his 12th half-century in his 21st match Sunday, was trapped lbw by left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan with a ball that pitched on leg-stump.

Hooper cut Zaheer to the third-man fence and then steered occasional slow bowler Sachin Tendulkar to the point boundary for four more.

The Guyanese drove Tendulkar over extra-cover for a big six and raised his 50 by driving him to the long-off fence for four.

On Sunday, leg-spinner Anil Kumble heroically bowled despite a fractured jaw and dismissed star West Indian batsman Brian Lara for four.

Kumble, who had been ruled out for the rest of the tour after being hit by a delivery from paceman Mervyn Dillon on Saturday, is to fly back to India.

The 31-year-old from Bangalore took the field despite his face and head being wrapped in bandages and helped the visitors restrict West Indies to 187 for three by close of the third day’s play.

Left-hander Lara was adjudged lbw as he went back trying to hit Kumble through the on side. But the batsman may have been unlucky as television replays indicated the ball might have missed leg-stump.

Kumble had been left out of the last two Tests as India went with three pacemen and off-break bowler Harbhajan Singh as the lone spinner.

Kumble’s 14-5-29-1 effort overshadowed a brilliant maiden Test century by wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra.

West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds mounted a solid reply to India’s daunting total, putting on 65 for the first wicket. This was the highest opening stand for the West Indies this series, beating 50 put up by Gayle and Stuart Williams at Trinidad last month.

Gayle (32) got a life when he flicked Zaheer Khan straight to Shiv Sundar Das, who dropped a simple catch at mid-wicket.

But Zaheer made the breakthrough soon after when he had Gayle caught behind by Ratra with a ball that swung late.

Hinds, brought into the team as opener in place of Williams for his 21st Test, raised his 50, off 90 balls, driving a gentle seamer from Ganguly to the extra-cover fence for four.

He was finally dismissed for 65, bowled round his legs by Tendulkar.

Meanwhile, Kumble will undergo surgery to his broken jaw Wednesday in his hometown of Bangalore.

“The surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday morning, soon after he returns home,” Indian team physiotherpist Andrew Leipus said here Monday.

“We did not want him to wait for much longer. 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.”