Mumbai jeered the Australians on Sunday. Right from the start of the Champions Trophy final, the crowd got behind the West Indies. There were loud chants for Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor, while the otherwise popular Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting were sledged from the stands.
The World champions ignored it and got on with their game. Another highly professional performance and Australia went on to add the only trophy missing in their cabinet.
- Images from the Champions Trophy final
At the presentation ceremony, Ponting grinned and bowed to the section of the crowd that had booed him all through. That was the typical Australian response to a growingly antagonistic crowd.
Much of it is done by a section of supporters to draw attention, but the Australians will find it difficult to volley for support in any other country apart their own.
Australia is to world cricket what America is to the world. It is the only superpower in cricket and the rest love to hate them. They're seen as a brash lot. They can be bad losers and use every trick in the book, swear at opponents, something they like to call "mental disintegration".
But very often people miss the sweat behind the tough exterior. They are so good; we sometimes need to be reminded of the discipline required to stay at the highest level for so long.
"We work as hard if not more than any other international team," Ponting pointed out immediately after the final against West Indies. For once, it didn't sound like a run-of-the-mill quote.
Indeed, the Australians are naturally gifted and have a great sports culture, but they never take success for granted. Their will to win and achieve is second to none. Whenever they set sights on a mission, apart from the outrageous predictions by Glenn McGrath, they take it to the end.
Beating India in the 2004 Test series and 2006 Champions Trophy are only some examples.
Though Australia did not begin their Champions campaign well, they steadily grew and peaked in the final. Twice defending World champions, they had a point to prove to the world and they did it in crushing fashion on Sunday.
"Winning the event in the subcontinent is a big achievement for the team," Ponting said. "The squads that we put out during the DLF Cup and here were very strong outfits. This trophy is a great reward for a lot of hard work we put in.
"We adapted very well to the wickets here. Of course the tournament in Malaysia allowed us to be better prepared for this competition. When we had 10-11 days off in Mohali also we put in a lot of hard work in order to be primed up for the last 2-3 games."
The West Indies were the surprise package of the tournament. They beat Australia in the first game of their main-round and swept off teams like India and South Africa to make it to the final.
The Caribbean side carried the hurt of having to play the qualifying rounds despite being the defending champions and strung together consistent results as opposed to their impetuous performances in recent past.
But on the given day, that wasn't enough to topple the Aussies from their pedestal.
"The Australians are certainly vulnerable," said West Indies captain Brian Lara. "But their experience in big-match situations helped them. I think we had stage fight and could not get runs on the board despite getting a great start."
When the West Indies were bowled out for 138 in 30.4 overs the writing was on the wall. Australia don't only will, they can humiliate opponents. They did it to Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup and then to India four years later in South Africa.
"Having never won the event we were really looking forward to the final. It was a big match and we played out best cricket," Ponting said.
During the Champions Trophy, Adam Gilchrist looked out of sorts, Brett Lee wasn't at his devastating best, McGrath was easing back into international cricket and yet Australia managed to give a superlative performance.
Be it out of form players, wounded opponents or a nagging crowd, Australia have learnt to grin and win it all!
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