Dileep Premachandran's end-of-term report on India's players India series averages
West Indies series averages

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After a brief glimpse of daylight in Trinidad, India were pushed firmly back into the tunnel of mediocrity on the only sporting wickets of the series in Barbados and Jamaica. The 2-1 series defeat merely confirmed what most of us know and have come to accept with almost weary resignation - that the Indian team doesn't have a clue when it comes to winning abroad. There were several good individual performances, but as a team, it was all downhill after Port-of-Spain. Here, we assess the performance of the team members on a tour that promised much, but ultimately delivered little. Déjà vu...

8 VVS Laxman India's player of the series. Batted beautifully at times and his shepherding of the tail was exceptional. Knuckled down and eschewed flair when the situation demanded it. Could be his watershed series, as he continues the perennial battle against underachievement.

7.5 Sourav Ganguly Ended the series as he began it, with a horrendous attempt at a hook/pull. But in between, he conquered many of his short-ball demons with some batting that made up with guts and spirit what it may have lacked by way of elegance. His captaincy veered from the excellent to the exceedingly ordinary but he was also let down by his players.

7 Rahul Dravid Started the series with a superb hundred in Guyana, but never replicated the feat. Got plenty of starts, but the big scores remained elusive. And that cost India dear in the crucial matches.

7 Ajay Ratra The century - and crucial partnership with Laxman - on a placid Antigua pitch would have done wonders for his confidence. Effective and tidy behind the stumps, the hundred told us that we could have one less bunny in the lower order.

6 Sachin Tendulkar A hundred in Trinidad to equal Bradman's tally, and fifties at Guyana and Jamaica were a meagre return for someone from whom we expect so much more. He contributed nothing in a lost cause at Barbados and though he scored 127 runs in Jamaica, he never looked like sticking around to see the job done. Suffers badly in comparison to Chanderpaul and Hooper, who were relentless.

6 Zaheer Khan India's best bowler. Still has a propensity to spray it around, but he was the only one to bowl with zest and enthusiasm throughout the series. His spirit never flagged, and more often than not, when Ganguly threw him the ball, he came up with something.

5.5 Wasim Jaffer Magnificent on the back-foot, Jaffer needs to tighten up his front-foot play and cut out some of those airy fairy drives. The 86 at Antigua and the fifty in Barbados whetted our appetite for more. Certain to be India's number one opener in England.

5.5 Harbhajan Singh Came back well to bag eight wickets in Kingston, but was a massive disappointment in Trinidad and Barbados. His batting bordered on the irresponsible and reckless, while he did nothing with the ball to suggest that he was a better option than Anil Kumble.

5 Javagal Srinath Bowled superbly in the first two Tests but was down to trundling pace by Jamaica. Agreed that he isn't getting any younger, but the lack of puff at times didn't say much for the fitness regimen adopted by the team.

5 Anil Kumble The braveheart performance with a broken jaw in Antigua shouldn't deflect from the fact that he made little or no dent in the West Indian batting when given the opportunity. Maybe a matchwinner at home, but little more than a stock bowler abroad.

5 Ashish Nehra Combined some exceptional spells with some absolute tripe. Poor bowling on the opening morning at Sabina Park did the team cause no good at all. Has the talent, but needs to work very hard on consistency and fitness.

4.5 Sarandeep Singh You have to feel sorry for him. Cut a lone and miserable figure when pitchforked into the fray at Georgetown. Batted well though his bowling was nothing special, and he was always going to make way for Harbhajan or Kumble.

4 SS Das Had a real 'mare of a series with the bat. Caught out repeatedly by the ball coming back in, he either played on or was caught plumb in front. With Jaffer doing his cause no harm, the pressure is now well and truly on Das to deliver.

4 Sanjay Bangar Fringe player who looked out of his depth as opener. His innocuous bowling didn't uproot any trees either.

3 Deep Dasgupta Dumped after the one Test. And frankly, his keeping in Guyana deserved little else.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com India.

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