India managed to wrap the series against Bangladesh with a near-perfect display on Monday. But their performance the day before raised serious questions about their falling standards as a batting outfit. Despite not being at full strength, India should have coasted to an easy victory chasing a modest target. Instead they faltered badly and handed Bangladesh their first ODI win at home. India would have liked to end the year with a 3-0 whitewash. But things didn't quite go according to plan.

There were signs of things to come in the opening game itself. India clinched a patchy win at Chittagong after posting a rather disappointing total of 245. The worst came on Sunday when Bangladesh destroyed the Indian batting order. It finally took a full strength Indian side to get the better of the hosts and take home the series 2-1.

There weren't too many gains for India from the one-day series. They did try out a few youngsters. But all these plans were put on the backburner after the shock loss in the second game. Among the ones tried, M.S.Dhoni did a decent job behind the stumps. However, one is not sure when he will next get a chance to don Indian colours knowing India's policy of playing musical chairs with the keeper's slot. S.Sriram got a couple of chances and took the opportunity to register his maiden 50, but that too went in vain as the batting line up collapsed. Mohammed Kaif was the most consistent of the batsmen with crucial contributions in each game. His promotion in the batting order has certainly worked wonders for his ODI career. His u-19 teammate Yuvraj Singh wrote his name into the record books with a 22-ball 50 in the final day-night encounter. Also entering the record books was Ajit Agarkar with 200 scalps in one-day cricket. Incidentally, this enigmatic cricketer also holds the record for the fastest half-century by an Indian in one dayers and the quickest to reach 50 wickets in the shorter format. But at the end of the day, all these milestones were inconsequential against a side that is still to find its feet in international cricket.

Bangladesh on the other hand must be reasonably satisfied despite the series loss. Though they lost by 91 runs in the decider, a total of 257 was a commendable effort. There were a few positives too for the home side. Mashrafe Mortaza emerged as an all-rounder with great potential with good performances in all departments of the game. His bowling spell in the second ODI was majorly responsible for Bangladesh's maiden triumph at home. He also wielded the willow more than effectively in the slog overs. The veteran Khaled Mahmud, not selected in the Test squad, also made his presence felt with good bowling performances. His bowling spells in all three games were crucial as he got the breakthrough just when his team needed them. At the end of the day, they were the ones who gained more from the series while India only compounded its problems with a disastrous loss.

The upset loss can be put down to two reasons; India's complacent attitude and failure of the much-vaunted batting line up. Also trying out the new guys proved fatal. Youngsters like Joginder Sharma and Dhoni performed reasonably well but did not do enough to ensure victory for India. Dinesh Mongia, getting an opportunity for the first time since his unsuccessful World Cup campaign, also failed to make an impression in the solitary game offered to him.

The last few months have been tragic for Indian cricket. After continuous losses in Tests and ODI's, this series saw India go to its lowest ebb, losing to the minnows. These are danger signals for Indian cricket and the men concerned will have to start looking at ways to stop this rut.