Kanpur: India rode on an all-round display to inflict a humiliating innings and 144-run defeat on Sri Lanka as the hosts surged into a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on the penultimate day of the second Test at the Green Park Stadium here today.

India registered its third biggest victory in terms of innings which was also the 100th Test win for the home team and they also clinched the top spot in the ICC Test rankings.

With a daunting total of 642 runs against them, Sri Lanka, who was asked to follow on after their first innings folded up on 229, could manage only 269 runs in their second essay to give India a thumping win with a day and half to spare. Harbhajan added a couple of wickets to his last evening's one and Pragyan Ojha also bagged two wickets while Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh chipped in with a wicket each to put India ahead in the series.

For Sri Lanka, Thilan Samaraweera played the lone hand with an unbeaten 78 and added 73 runs with Ajantha Mendis (27) as the duo batted with application which lacked in the other batsmen of the team.

Yuvraj Singh finally ended the Lankan resistance when he trapped Mendis leg before and Ojha wrapped up the match with the wicket of Chanaka Welegedara. In their first innings, Gautam Gambhir (167), Rahul Dravid (144) and Virender Sehwag (131) struck magnificent centuries to post a mammoth score for India while Sreesanth marked a superb comeback into the national side with a five-wicket haul in Sri Lanka's first knock.

The Kerala pacer was declared man-of-the-match for returning superb figures of five for 75 in Sri Lanka's first innings.

Resuming at their overnight score of 57 for four, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals as they went all out to attack the Indian bowling.

Thilan Samaraweera fought the lone battle but his unbeaten half-century could only delay the inevitable as Sri Lanka were facing a huge innings defeat and were way behind India's first innings total.

Zaheer Khan started the day's proceedings for India with Sreesanth and Angelo Mathews began to counter attack as he struck three consecutive boundaries off the left-armer.

But Zaheer had the last laugh when Mathews tried to pull him in the same over and a top edge from his bat went to the gully where a diving Rahul Dravid completed the catch.

Mathews had added just 13 runs to his overnight score of two beofre he departed back into the hut.

Even as Prasanna Jayawerdene (29) joined Thilan Samaraweera at the crease, the two batsmen continued with the same approach and were scoring runs at a good pace.

Both batsmen raced to a 50-run stand in just 60 balls but with the wicket crumbling, it was always going to be difficult for the duo.

Zaheer and Sreesanth were pulled out of the attack as despite an early breakthrough in the morning, they went for plenty and the spinners were introduced.

Both Harbhajan and Prajyan Ojha did well cut short the scoring opportunities and the batsmen were also content to give due respect to the bowlers.

Harbhajan then bowled a perfect off-spinner from round the wicket to see the back of Jayawerdene. A well flighted delivery brought Jayawerdene on the front foot but he failed to cover the line of the ball which spun to knock off his stumps.

With the whole top-order failing to get the team out of trouble, it was a huge task for Samaraweera to bat with the tail-enders and the writing was clearly on the wall for Sri Lanka.

Rangana Herath (13) could not provide any resistance to the Indian bowling and was trapped leg-before to give Harbhajan his third wicket of the innings.

It was inevitable for the Lankans to defy the defeat but Muttiah Muralithran came out with all guns blazing as he smacked Harbhajan for 14 runs in three balls which also included a six at long-on.

But it was one short to many for Murali who raced to 29 off just 11 balls before Ojha accounted him to get his first wicket of the innings.