County update: Dravid leads Indian pack

Just under halfway through the English domestic season, the three Indian gladiators doing battle for their counties are girding up their loins for a spirited offensive in the second half. Having taken a while to get loosened up in one of the wettest English summers in donkey's years, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly are all now on an upward curve.

Of the three domestic one-day competitions, the Benson & Hedges Cup was the earliest to kick off and also the earliest to terminate. With matches being cruelly cut short and even abandoned, the Indians had rather limited opportunities to show their worth. Kumble with nine wickets at 10.66 was the only one to successfully brave the elements.

The NatWest Trophy, played on a knockout basis, has entered the pre quarterfinal stage, with all three countrymen excelling, admittedly against Minor County opposition, in their only matches so far. Ganguly smashed an unbeaten 120 off 98 balls and mopped up 3-26 vs Lincolnshire, Kumble cleaned out Northumberland with 5-27 and Dravid stroked 54 off an unpretentious Cumberland attack.

The National League is the remaining limited overs tourney and, like the County Championship, is split into two divisions of nine teams with each team playing the other both home and away. All three Indians are playing in the first division. Dravid has not exactly woken the dead but Ganguly and Kumble have had their moments. Opening with Mike Atherton against Northants, the India skipper made an unbeaten 47 besides grabbing 3-22 while Kumble boasts seven wickets at 17.71.

It is his steady hand in the longer version that lends Dravid reason enough to sport a smug look on his face although he will be disappointed at missing his maiden Championship century against Somerset two days ago. The knock of 95, his second fifty of the match, helped Kent force a draw after being made to follow on. It also propelled Dravid to fourth place in the first class averages (656 runs at 82.00) and third place in the first division standings (474 runs at 67.71). But his rousing form has unfortunately not had a desired impact on Kent's fortunes, languishing as they are in eighth place out of nine teams in the first division.

Kumble has a collection of 20 Championship wickets at 23.05, including a best of 5-61 against Somerset that bowled Leicestershire, currently fourth in the standings, to a six wicket victory at Grace Road. In his side's other victory over Derbyshire, Kumble performed the role of a workhorse, keeping one end as tight as Lycra panties (Clive Lloyd's famous description of Joel Garner) with figures of 40/17/58/2 in the second innings.

Ganguly has had a sketchy outing in the Championship averaging 30.40 with a best of 73 against Durham early in the season. Nevertheless Lancashire have surged to second place in the points table just two points behind arch rivals Yorkshire. Dravid clearly is the man to watch though and he must be vastly amused to learn that he is currently top of the first division bowling averages, with three wickets at 8.66. And this for a man who never remotely threatened to take a wicket in nine previous seasons in the first class game.