There was such an inevitability about it. Before India left their shores, there had been much talk about coming of age, turning corners etc etc. It didn't happen, and nobody who saw India lose three wickets within the first eight overs on the first morning of the third Test at Barbados expected it to. Little reversals affect the Indian mind more than anyone else's. In June last year, the overseas jinx seemed to have been broken with a win at Bulawayo – but Zimbabwe came back to square the series at Harare. Two months on, India themselves won the second Test of a series to square it 1-1 – only for Sri Lanka to wallop them in the decider at the SSC in Colombo. Why would things be any different now? Resilience doesn't come overnight.

Two important points were made by Sourav Ganguly and John Wright on what was the final press conference of a closely contested Test series. Ganguly's was the more important. "It's up there in the mind," Ganguly said. "More than the ability, I don't think we have the mindset to win a Test series."

"That's what makes a good team – to give their best when it matters the most. We haven't done that in the last year whether it is Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe or here in the West Indies. Our one-day finals record has also proved that."

These were candid words - and very true. India leave the feeling that they are embarrassed to win overseas. At Barbados, when they should have been on a high after winning at Trinidad, they went and lost their composure on what was nothing more than a sporting track. Ganguly had the right to say what he did for he, alone, had displayed then, the tenacity of a man determined to not lose the grip.

If the batsmen blew it on the first day of the Barbados Test, then the bowlers did so on the first day here at Jamaica. Which brings us to the second point of note made today, by Wright. "Our bowlers need to get fitter and stronger. I mean fast bowling is a tough job."

Yes, it is, and the rapid decline of the seamers' incisiveness as the series has progressed should be a cause for serious concern. Javagal Srinath, inspired and inspiring in India's win in Trinidad, kept losing energy like a balloon whose knot had been untied. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra were not bad for a couple of blokes on their first five-Test tour, but, again, their effort was not sustained enough through a session let alone a Test.

Praying for rain on the final day of the final match – indeed, it started to come down heavily less than 15 minutes after the last wicket had fallen – is just not good enough. India didn't deserve the rain.

Anyway, the Test cricket is over. Where the last seven weeks on tour have gone no-body knows. India came, drew, won, lost, drew, lost. It's been a colourful and hectic journey through six countries and several cultures. Soon, the one-day stuff will come and the carnival will become brighter. Yet, all of India will nurse what, essentially, has been an opportunity perfectly botched.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com in India.

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