It's become one of the self-evident truths of Indian cricket and the one-day game: the team can't chase, or would rather not. From the year 2000 onwards, of India's 34 defeats in one-day internationals, 21 - or more than 60 per cent - have come chasing a target. In the one-day series against England, India failed to win the series after taking a 2-1 lead, given three targets of over 250-plus in Cuttack, Delhi and Mumbai. Each time the team stumbled and fell short of the target, the margin of victory was slight - under 20 runs. But after blazing starts from a top order other teams in the world would envy, the Indians ran out of time, wickets and breath.

It is a prospect that is going to haunt the Indians who will, in just under a year, begin their campaign to bring cricket's World Cup back home after two decades. Their record not just over one-dayers this season, but in finals, has also been dismal, the Indians having lost no less than nine straight finals in the last four seasons. The ability to pace a chase is seen as one of the reasons for the many stumbles and with a raw middle order playing, it is not a problem that looks like it could be immediately patched up.

One of India's best and most under-rated "finishers" was Robin Singh whose last match for India was against the visiting Australians last season, in Vizag. Singh played 136 matches for India scoring 2,336 runs at an average of 25.95 (strike rate 74.30) and also took 69 wickets (average 43.26). Now captain for Tamil Nadu and still one of the fittest on his team and fastest on the field, Singh followed the India-England series and had more than a few pointers for his younger compatriots suddenly thrust into the centre of high-pressure situations.

The key to chasing a target lay, like in most things cricketing, in the head. Singh, 38, says, "Six an over is not as big a target as is made out to be. You have to be confident, back yourself and play safe cricket - a run a ball Part of the key of being what is called a "closer" is to understand the strength of the opposition and the bowlers. "You must try and anticipate which bowler is going to do what, how they are likely to be bowling at the end and play according to that. While chasing runs you must also understand what you can do and what you cannot."

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INDIA'S RECORD INDIA'S RECORD FROM 2000 ONWARDS: PLAYED: 64 WON: 30* (Includes 8 wins over Zimbabwe, two over Kenya and one over Bangladesh.) LOST: 34 CHASING: 21 (61%) WIN %: 47 > India has chased successfully against South Africa three times, England twice, and once each against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand. > They have failed to chase successfully in 10 one-day matches against Australia, their overall record being 7 losses and 3 wins (all defending totals). > In the 2003 World Cup, India are in the same group with Australia, Pakistan, England, Zimbabwe, Netherlands and Namibia Highest target chased: 302 vs South Africa Lowest total failed to chase: 201 vs New Zealand Average score failing to chase: 274

The golden rule of all chases is keeping wickets in hand. "You cannot go into the last over needing 10 -12 and not having wickets, because that's the time to take the chance. You can't take chances without wickets," Singh says. "Because at that stage of the match a batsman must remember that anything could happen. The bowler might bowl a wide, or a no ball, there could be leg byes anything... you have to forget about the situation and look for the runs. All your focus in a chase should be on ones and twos. Six an over at the end is no big deal. You can even contemplate getting four off the last ball, if you have planned your innings properly."
These are calm words from a man known for his composure in tight situations, a response Singh said was dictated by the fact that he batted in the prickliest spot in the batting - No. 6, the position that in the old days, separated the middle order from the lower, the end of the beginning, or given the form and skill level of the Indian tail, the beginning of the end. "It's not a spot where you can play for statistics and I told myself every time I was picked that I should win at least one game for India in every series I played. Even if you come on in the last two overs, if you can get 20 in 10 balls, or even something like 10-15 in the last over, that adds value to your total, you add value to your team," Singh says.

Predictability in a one-day chase says Singh is double-edged sword and can work both ways, "Most of the time you have to forget big shots and look for runs, but if you don't get runs for two balls, then you shouldn't go for the big shot. Teams pick up very quickly which batsmen react like that and manage to get them frustrated and ation of how the young Indian middle order - Dinesh Mongia, Mohammed Kaif and Hemang Badani - played in the one-dayers versus England.

Singh throws up another argument, that the reason the Indians are taking a while to find the perfect No. 6 who can slip into the role of playing either the barnstormer who cashes in on an explosive start and makes sure the hunt doesn't lose momentum or the man who has to keep his head when others about him are losing theirs and ensure that he gives his side the best chance of getting to within striking distance of a good total or stiff target. "If you don't bat down at 5 or 6 for your state team you are not used to facing situations of the type you could be thrust in playing for India. There will be scenarios in front of you that you cannot imagine. If you are a young player, you need someone there to guide you." Batting at No. 6 was Singh said, "something I did all my life because I knew that it would be valuable experience I could take with me to a higher level. You have to take some very important decisions at that position. You study the situation and if you've lost a lot of wickets, you think I'll just play safe for maybe 5 overs, settle down and then try to pick up the scoring. It's all a question of confidence in your ability to play in tight situations."

His teammates' recent perils and pitfalls will go uncommented. Singh though says that the paranoia of pursuit is more common a phenomenon in one-day internationals than is widely realised. "Most teams prefer to bat first. Australia have one way of playing - they try to bulldoze other teams, when it works great, when it doesn't they don't do so well under pressure. Put up more than 250 and look any team ... in the face of that even South Africa would rather bat first."

The Indians are due to play at least 23 scheduled one-day internationals until the start of the 2003 World Cup - there is time to take all of Singh's experience - both verbal and through skill - on board. What is not yet known is whether there is the inclination?