India won the first Test against Pakistan at Multan by an innings and 52 runs today.
The visitors needed just 12 balls on the fifth day to claim the final Pakistani wicket.
The writing had been on the wall when India claimed 13 wickets on Day 4. Only the formalities were to be completed and India did that without any fuss.
Irfan Pathan took the last wicket of Yousuf Youhana, who top-scored for Pakistan in the second innings with 112 runs, to finish with the superb figures of 20.4-12-26-2.
The Indians had not won any of their previous 20 Tests in Pakistan, losing five and drawing 15. It was only India's second innings victory over Pakistan. The other was in the inaugural Test between the two sides in New Delhi in 1952.
Anil Kumble performed splendidly to finish with figures of 30-10-72-6 in the second innings as India made light of the loss of Zaheer Khan, who did not bowl a single ball in the second innings.
Even before play began, the Pakistani players were seen sitting in a huddle on the far side of the ground with Inzamam-ul-Haq talking to them. The Pakistani skipper will be hoping to inspire them in time for the next Test that starts in Lahore on Monday.
Even more than the bowling and the batting, it was the all-round competence of the Indians in the field that made the difference. They took some breathtaking catches and Yuvraj Singh's run-out of Inzamam was without doubt the turning point of the match.
Inzamam was the only batsman who played Kumble with a certain degree of comfort. Once he was gone, the Indians knew they were on to something special.
It has been a time of plenty for the Indian team. Neither alien conditions nor injuries to key players seem to stop their winning run. Victories in the West Indies, England, Australia and now Pakistan have ensured that Sourav Ganguly's team will be remembered as perhaps the best Indian side ever.
Ganguly's contribution in moulding this team cannot be overemphasised. He believes in the youngsters and they in turn are ever ready to put their all on the line for the skipper. But more importantly he has taught them that no one, and that means no one, is indispensable.
The lost of the captain is a blow that not many teams in the world can overcome. For instance, what is Pakistan without Inzamam or the West Indies without Lara or even Australia without Ponting? But India, even without Ganguly, went on to win the Test as though nothing had happened. It was a true triumph of the spirit.
Virender Sehwag was adjudged Man of the Match for his record-breaking triple century which set India on the path to victory.
