Roulston got to climb the dais after a lung-busting ride into second place overnight but then insisted all praise be directed to the combined efforts of the riders in black.
It was a silver built on careful pre-race planning, sticking to the tactics and good old fashioned grit.
Gordon McCauley, Jack Bauer, Sam Bewley, Marc Ryan and Clinton Avery all played key parts in a multi-layered plan to send Roulston across the line first. They fell just short only because of the sprinting prowess of Australian Allan Davis, who zipped past Roulston with an explosive burst the compelling 168km race deserved.
Roulston, 29, wasn't downhearted about missing gold, preferring to revel in the satisfaction of a brilliantly constructed team race which shut out Pro-Tour stars such Isle of Man sprinting sensation Mark Cavendish, who was seventh, and decorated Scottish bronze medallist David Millar.
"The whole plan today was to make the race hard," Roulston said.
"We had no choice, we've got no sprinter and the world's fastest sprinters are here so for us to execute it like we did, I think the boys should be really proud.
"Silver's no gold but Allan Davis was third last week at the world championships and Mark Cavendish is the No 1 sprinter in the world."
Roulston continued his run of Games minor medals, following a track team pursuit bronze in 2002 and points race silver four years ago. He went within a whisker of matching New Zealand's only other Games road race gold, to Mark Rendell in 1994 at Victoria, Canada.
All the more remarkable is that he was bed-ridden for the two days leading up with flu symptoms and took to the start line with stomach pain.
"I was contemplating not starting today, just due to how I was feeling last night. I was terrible and I reckon when the caffeine gets out of my system I'll be terrible again," he said.
"But it's basically my last race of the year so it was all or nothing."
McCauley was eighth, one minute nine seconds behind the 3hr 49min 48sec credited to Davis and Roulston. Bauer was 10th, 2min 49sec off the pace while Avery, Bewley and Ryan were among the 81 of 133 riders who failed to finish in roasting conditions.
It was little wonder Bewley and Ryan pulled up short given their heavy track programme in Delhi yet they still played a part, breaking clear in a six-man group including McCauley to stress the field.
They had put 1-1/2 minutes on the field after just two of the 12 laps of a tight criterium-style course through an historic sector of central New Delhi.
McCauley and Northern Ireland veteran David McCann then pulled clear and were more than 3min up at the halfway point.
The intensity picked up when the tired pair were hauled in by Roulston, Bauer and Canadian Zach Bell.
Cavendish, Davis and Millar were among a small group to join the leaders before Roulston hatched another plan to knock them off their stride. Talented youngster Bauer was sent clear and led by 30sec at one point in the penultimate lap.
He set a pace slick enough to throw Cavendish off the trail but not, unfortunately, Davis.
"Everyone did everything perfectly. Jack Bauer sacrificed himself in the last couple of laps," Roulston said.
"In the end, our boys were starting to tire. Gordy had been out there (in front) all day."
The absence of veteran Greg Henderson -- who withdrew a week out from the Games citing health and security fears -- meant New Zealand had no pure sprinter but Roulston gave it his best shot against Davis, getting the jump on him and blocking his line 300m out before being passed.
"It's still pretty special considering how I've been feeling the last couple of days. I'm really rapt," he said.
New Zealand's chief medal hope in the women's race, Catherine Cheatley, also battled illness as the New Zealanders were shut out of the medals.
Joanne Kiesanowski was the best of them, finishing fourth in a race notable for countless attacks by the New Zealand riders.
Cheatley and Linda Villumsen were prominent with their aggressive assaults but they were always unsupported bursts which were routinely hauled in by Australian chasers.
The race evolved into a bunch finish which was won by another Australian, Rochelle Gilmore, meaning her country has snaffled 14 of the Games' 16 cycling gold medals with just Wednesday's two time trials to come.
The New Zealand women admitted they were perplexed no other nations joined them in trying to attack during the 112km race, handing victory on a platter to an Australian unit boasting several classy sprinters.
Kiesanowski completed an impressive Games, having won a silver medal in the women's points race on the track.
