India on top of the world

Zaheer Khan removes Nuwan Kulasekara for his third wicket today, which completed his five-for and neared a 2-0 victory

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Zaheer Khan completed a five-wicket haul as India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs in the final Test in Mumbai to go top of the ICC Test rankings for the first time.

The 2-0 series triumph took India above South Africa and makes them only the third team - the other being Australia - to top the table since its inception in 2001.

Zaheer claimed three of the final four wickets to fall as Sri Lanka, resuming on 274 for six - 59 adrift of India’s first innings total of 726 for nine declared - were bowled out for 309 inside the first hour on day five.

Zaheer, who finished with 5-72 from 21 overs, broke through with the third delivery of the morning to remove Kumar Sangakkara and ending a defiant 70-run stand for the seventh wicket with Nuwan Kulasekara.

Sangakkara had defended the first delivery from Zaheer and struck a boundary off the second, a thickish outside edge carrying it away from the fielder at backward point and over the ropes to take the captain’s score to 137.

Zaheer’s next delivery, however, pitched on middle and moved away a touch, inducing the edge which went straight to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

India edged closer to victory when Zaheer struck again in his third over, this time snaring Rangana Herath with a short delivery.

Herath shaped to pull, but only managed an edge which Pragyan Ojha smartly snapped up with a lunge at midwicket for three.

Muttiah Muralitharan immediately unleashed his customary belligerence, lashing Zaheer for three boundaries in the remainder of his third over.

But the left-arm paceman struck again to end Kulasekara’s determined stint with the bat on 19. The tail-ender stabbed at a rising delivery and the edge travelled at a comfortable height to VVS Laxman at second slip.

Harbhajan sealed an historic victory as Muralitharan, attempting to slog-sweep, presented Dhoni with another catch for 14.