India on Sunday became the number one team in Test rankings after they spanked Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs in the third and final cricket Test to clinch the three-match series by a 2-0 margin.
Needing just four wickets to record an emphatic victory, the hosts took just about 40 minutes to polish off the visiting team's tail to record their second consecutive innings victory.
Resuming at 274 for six, the Sri Lankans lost their heroic captain Kumar Sangakkara (137) in the very first over and were bundled out for 309 with Zaheer Khan being the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 5/72.
The Sunday crowd at the Brabourne Stadium, hosting a Test match after a gap of 36 years, witnessed a historic moment as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men crowned themselves the number one team.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy as Muttiah Muralitharan edged a flighted delivery from Harbhajan Singh to Dhoni to bring down the curtains on the Lankan innings.
The Indian players hugged each other and a beaming coach Gary Kirsten greeted them as they returned to the pavillion.
The victory has given India three points in the ICC rankings, taking their overall tally to 124 and leaving them ahead of South Africa in the ICC table.
The teams will now gear up for two Twenty20 matches in Nagpur and Mohali followed by a five-match one-day series which begins at Rajkot from December 15. PTI
