Muralitharan takes 800th wicket as Sri Lanka beat India
First Test, Galle (day five): Sri Lanka 520-8 dec & 96-0 beat India 276 & 338 by 10 wickets Match scorecard
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Muralitharan takes 800th wicket
Muttiah Muralitharan bowed out of Test cricket in style by reaching 800 wickets as Sri Lanka thrashed India by 10 wickets in the first Test at Galle.
India began the final day 63 behind at 181-5 with Murali needing a further two wickets to become the first man to 800.
He reached the feat by taking the final wicket as number 11 Pragyan Ojha edged to slip and India were all for 336.
Sri Lanka reached their target of 95 in 14.1 overs, Tillakaratne Dilshan firing 68 and winning the match with a six.
India's quest to stave off defeat began badly when skipper Mahendra Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh were both dismissed within the opening 20 minutes.
Lasith Malinga produced a fine yorker to dismiss the skipper for four, and Murali moved to wicket number 799 when Harbhajan missed a sweep and was lbw for eight.
Debutant Abhimanyu Mithun shared 41 with the composed VVS Laxman (69) as India reached lunch on 292-8.
But Laxman was run out risking a quick single to short third man as Angel Mathews fizzed in a direct hit, leaving only one more chance for Murali to achieve the historic mark.
After Murali changed ends Herath had a chance of a caught and bowled but Ojha's skewed stroke fell fractionally short.
Four further overs passed by before the key moment arrived.
Ojha had scooped Murali over mid-off for four two balls previously but then lunged forward and Mahela Jayawardene took the all-important catch to his left at slip and the star spinner was lifted from the field with his jubilant wife and mother-in-law looking on from the stands.
Dilshan hit successive fours in the second over as Sri Lanka made a rapid start, and three boundaries came in an over from Ishant Sharma.
Tea was taken with 32 still needed but they were soon ticked off, Dilshan dancing down the pitch to hoist Harbhajan over long-on for the winning runs to let the celebrations begin.
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