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Pakistan have only themselves to blame for their 1-0 defeat at the hands of India.
The team lived up to claims that it was one of the weakest sides ever to take part in the usually highly charged series.
Bad selection, poor batting and some senseless bowling undid Pakistan. Having their premier fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar more in the pavilion than out did not help.
Skipper Shoaib Malik was also sidelined after the first Test which meant that a reluctant Younis Khan took over the reins once again.
The selection was bewildering. Knowing that Akhtar's fitness was suspect, Pakistan opted to go into the Tests with just four bowlers. They paid a heavy price for it.
With Akhtar suffering a series of setbacks, the three other bowlers toiled on the featherbed wickets which were prepared for the series.
The knives are already out for Akhtar. He will be made a scapegoat for the defeat. But why blame him?
His fitness was always under a cloud from the time the series got under way. The fast bowler had hardly played any competitive cricket due to the ban slapped on him.
Akhtar was the only bowler who looked capable of upsetting the Indians, whenever he got a decent spell in. If Pakistan had played the additional bowler, they could have at least covered up for Akhtar's absence and still worked away at the Indians.
Pakistan should have realised that fact when Akhtar broke down in the second Test. Yet they went into the deciding third Test with the same combination. Their batting fell apart under pressure and it was left to comeback man Misbah-ul-Haq to hold the innings together. Misbah was one of the few positives to emerge from the series.
Misbah showed determination and the will to stay at the wicket. This was in stark contrast to his Twenty20 successes where he belted the ball at will. His technique against the spinners was admirable and he handled Indian captain Anil Kumble the best. He found a strong ally in wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
Akmal may have found the job behind the wicket getting difficult by the day but in front of it he was in sparkling form.
Opener Salman Butt had a decent series but the same cannot be said of the other opener Yasir Hameed. Kumble proved to be the nemesis for Hameed.
Another big blow for Pakistan was the dismal form of Mohammed Yousuf. The champion batsman looked woefully out of touch and even lost his wicket after sledging by the Indians.
Younis batted well but the weight of handling the captaincy must have hampered him.
The biggest disappointment was Danish Kaneria. He was handled well by the Indian batsmen and rarely looked threatening.
India should not preen over the series victory. The real test is just round the corner when they take on Australia at home.
All the batsmen, save Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Dravid, came good. But the series will always be special for former captain Saurav Ganguly. At 35, Ganguly seems to get better and better. The left-hander has scored more than 1,000 runs in the calendar year, most of them under pressure.
His rescue act with Yuvraj Singh in the final Test was the highpoint of the series. That spell of batting was among the finest seen in Indian cricket. The flowing drives and superb timing from the two left-handers was a treat.
Yuvraj has put the Indian selectors in a dilemma. But they will have to fit him in somehow against Australia because he is in the form of his life. Wasim Jaffer has now fitted in nicely in the opener's slot. He is also far more positive in his approach and this has helped him.
Kumble had a good series but Harbhajan needs to do more if he wants a permanent place in the side.
Ishant Sharma grabbed his opportunity when injuries hit India in the final Test. If he gets his line right, Sharma could be one for the future.
The form of Indian batsmen will augur well for the team when they take on Australia in the first Test on Boxing Day. But bowling has to be top class, if India nurture ambitions of beating Australia on their soil.
Only time will tell.
