AHMEDABAD - Former star batter Adam Gilchrist rated Australia's World Cup triumph as one of his country's "finest" cricket wins after they beat hosts India to earn a sixth one-day international title.
Opener Travis Head starred during the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday by hitting a sparkling 137 off 120 deliveries, powering Australia to a convincing six-wicket win.
Head joined Ricky Ponting and Gilchrist as the third Australian to score a century in a men's World Cup final.
"So proud of this Australian team and crew," Gilchrist wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"To win another World Cup in the manner and circumstance they have is one of the finest victories in our sporting history I reckon.
"Time to celebrate," added Gilchrist, who scored 149 not out in the 2007 World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in Barbados.
It was the sixth time the Australian men's side has won the one-day international World Cup after victories in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
Set a challenging 241 in the final, Australia slipped to 47-3 before Head smashed his second century of the tournament to steer his team home with seven overs to spare, ending India's dominant run of 10 unbeaten matches at the World Cup.
Cricket Australia's chief executive Nick Hockley said the team deserved the title after beating the hosts in front of a huge crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
"This is another wonderful achievement by Pat Cummins and his team who have performed brilliantly in testing conditions and against strong opposition throughout the tournament," Hockley said in a statement.
"To beat the previously undefeated India before their passionate home fans is an achievement that sits comfortably alongside any of Australia’s five previous ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup finals victories."
Australia added the 50-overs crown to the World Test Championship title they won last June after beating India in the final in London.
Hockley said winning both titles in the same year "is a testament to the calibre of our players across all formats".
"Together with the retention of both the men’s and women’s Ashes and a sixth victory in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, there is so much to celebrate as we head towards another exciting summer of international cricket," he added.
Darren Lehmann, who won the World Cup with Australia as both a coach and player, also offered congratulations "to all players and support staff on the 6th WC Title," on X.