West Indies captain Brian Lara blasted the national selectors and the pitch curator after his side's 49-run defeat in the series-deciding fourth Test against India at Sabina Park.
"We were against all oddsÂ… bad selection and bad pitches. I am very proud of the way my boys played," a visibly hurt Lara said after losing the four-match series 1-0.
Lara had demanded a genuine quick bowler to be included in the team and asked for pacy tracks do exploit the Indians' weakness against fast bowling ahead of and during the Test series.
Both his requests went unheeded.
Lara was particularly upset by the fact that a rank turner, which suited rival spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh more, was dished out for the decisive Test.
During the West Indies' second innings, after a huge off-break by Harbhajan beat his outside edge, Lara turned to groundsman Charlie on the boundary and gave him a sarcastic applause.
The 37-year-old refused to pin the loss to his team's poor batting on the second day when they were bowled out for 103.
"It maybe, but when 40 wickets fall for 600-odd runs in 2-1/2 days, you have to look for other things," he said.
It would not go unnoticed to the followers of West Indian cricket that Lara does not enjoy in Jamaica the same popularity he does in his home island of Trinidad.
The relationship between one of the world's leading run-getter and Jamaican fans reached the nadir when Lara came back from a sabbatical to take the West Indian captaincy from Courtney Walsh, the latter's home town hero, a few years ago.
Indian captain Rahul Dravid, who was declared man of the series as well as man of the match for his two fighting half-centuries, was overjoyed by the success.
"It was a fantastic effort. We played good cricket throughout the series. It was a team effort," he said.
"The team needs to be praised particularly for the way they came back after the difficult ODI series loss.
"We have not won here for 35 years, and not outside the subcontinent for 20 years. That makes this win that much more special."
Dravid concurred with Lara's opinion about the track.
"It wasn't a great wicket. We had to grind our way, and it was especially difficult for a new batsman."
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