Cricket-crazy India woke up to banner headlines and a multitude of special television programmes on Monday celebrating their team's ascent to the top of the Test rankings for the first time.
"The Best & Brightest," ran a page one headline in the Times of India, the country's largest circulated English newspaper, with the sports page blaring "Onederful Tidings."
India jumped from third in the rankings to displace South Africa at the top by clinching a 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday.
"The euphoria over India's arduous ascent to the Mount Everest of Test cricket is perfectly understandable given the craze for the game in our country as expressed in the cliched, but apt, expression that cricket is a religion and its votaries, the players, demi-gods," wrote Mumbai tabloid Mid Day.
India, a nation of 1.2 billion people, has the largest global television cricket audience and is also the international game's financial nerve centre.
Several former cricketers hailed the achievement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team, which has recorded series victories over Australia, England and New Zealand and a draw with South Africa over the last 18 months.
"This side is better than ours," Ajit Wadekar, who lead India to groundbreaking series victories in England and the West Indies in 1971, told Times of India.
India will start the new year as the top Test team.
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