India will be hoping to end their disastrous run of eight consecutive losses in the finals of one-day tournaments, when they take on South Africa at Durban on Friday. Here is a closer look at their eight defeats. No. 1 Pepsi Cup, 1998-99, Bangalore
Lost to Pakistan by 123 runs
Ajay Jadeja led a line-up from which Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin were missing. Pakistan won the toss, batted first, and rode on Shahid Afridi's 61-ball 65 and Inzamam-ul-Haq's 91 to set India a target of 291. India were never in the hunt. They lost their top five wickets for only 63, and limped to 168 all out.

No. 2 Coca-Cola Cup, 1998-99, Sharjah
Lost to Pakistan by 8 wickets
Azharuddin won the toss and chose to bat, but India lost Sadagoppan Ramesh and Rahul Dravid in the first four balls of the match, and never recovered. They managed only 125, a total Pakistan polished off in 28 overs.

No. 3 Coca-Cola Singapore Challenge, 1999-00, Singapore
Lost to West Indies by 4 wickets
West Indies won the toss, opted to bowl and removed captain Tendulkar in the first over for a duck. Dravid scored a fighting 103, and with Sourav Ganguly (46) and Nikhil Chopra (60), took India to a respectable 254. When five West Indian wickets fell for only 128, India sensed victory. But Ricardo Powell dashed their hopes with a powerful 93-ball 124, which included eight sixes. West Indies coasted home with more than two overs to spare.

No. 4 LG Cup, 1999-00, Nairobi
Lost to South Africa by 26 runs
India had already beaten South Africa earlier in the tournament, when Sunil Joshi had spun a web around their batsmen with incredible figures of 10-6-6-5. India started well in the final and reduced South Africa to 18 for 3. But Herschelle Gibbs stood firm and scored 84, and the lower-order batsmen contributed usefully. Set 236 to win, India fell 26 runs short. Wicketkeeper MSK Prasad top-scored with 63. And Joshi ended up with 0 for 55 off 10 overs.

No. 5 ICC KnockOut, 2000-01, Nairobi
Lost to New Zealand by 4 wickets
After beating Australia and South Africa earlier in the competition, India entered the finals as firm favourites. Sourav Ganguly scored 117 and Sachin Tendulkar made 69 as the first-wicket partnership yielded 141. Even though the middle order disappointed, India managed a useful 264. New Zealand lost half their side for only 132, but Chris Cairns turned the match around with a magnificent, unbeaten 102. New Zealand squeaked home with two deliveries to spare.

No. 6 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy, 2000-01, Sharjah
Lost to Sri Lanka by 245 runs
One of India's most embarrassing defeats, as Sri Lanka piled up 299, and then skittled India on a flat wicket for just 54. Sanath Jayasuriya took India's bowlers apart with a blistering 189, and then Chaminda Vaas destroyed their batsmen, taking 5 for 14.

No. 7 Coca-Cola Cup (Zimbabwe), 2001, Harare
Lost to West Indies by 16 runs
After defeating West Indies in both the league matches, India went down to them in the final. West Indies won the toss and notched up 290, as Daren Ganga scored 71 and captain Carl Hooper made 66. India started disastrously, as Tendulkar went for a duck and half the side was out for 82. Sameer Dighe led a late-order revival with a doughty 94 not out, but India fell short by 16 runs.

No. 8 Coca-Cola Cup (Sri Lanka), 2001, Colombo
Lost to Sri Lanka by 121 runs
India were again mauled by Sanath Jayasuriya. His 102-ball 99, coupled with half-centuries by Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold, took Sri Lanka to 295. The Indian top order collapsed yet again, as they lost six wickets for 100. They were never in the hunt and finished with a miserable 174.

S Rajesh is a sub-editor for Wisden Online India

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