How Australia's World Cup 2023 win over India rates in our cricket history

Channel Seven, who ironically appear to hate cricket, seem to be leading the charge. At least our summer broadcasters have finally worked out that whingeing about how rubbish cricket is isn't the best way to promote the game and get people watching.

But the Aussie team who were crowned world champions in India in the middle of the night have certainly done that. After an underwhelming start they created the momentum of a freight train and dragged the country on board with them.

While this generation of Aussie cricketers still have a way to go before they can be compared with past teams boasting Shane Warne, Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath, one thing they can stake claim to is our greatest overachievers.

No one gave them a chance in hell of winning this World Cup. Yet they have. No one thought they'd win the Twenty20 World Cup in 2021 either. Yet they did. No one really thought they'd be able to retain the Ashes in England this year - especially the Poms. Yet they did.

They even won the Test cricket championship against powerhouse India at The Oval in June. That's twice they've knocked India down a peg, after they destroyed them in Ahmedabad on Sunday night - in front of what was initially a heaving, sold-out crowd in the 132,000 seat Narendra Modi Stadium.

And make no mistake, the 50-over world cup win was a destruction. They strangled the Indian batters with their bowling before Travis Head unleashed the beast to produce a magnificent 137 off just 120 balls.

Plus they did it in India-friendly conditions, with the home side deciding to play it on a used pitch they thought would favour them.

While we're talking about greatests, Head would have to be in contention for greatest punt taken to come off.

He broke his hand just two months ago and missed Australia's opening five games before scoring a century against New Zealand in his first game of the tournament.

It could easily have gone wrong, but instead was a masterstroke with the explosive left-hander literally smashing the Aussies to the crown.

Freshly ousted Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan must've watched on with envy after his own "captain's call" - to bring in Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach for their World Cup campaign - ended in disaster.

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Glenn Maxwell's another who has written his name into the history books.

He started off with the fastest century at a World Cup, blasting his way to 100 off just 40 balls against the Netherlands.

Then his crazy unbeaten 201 off just 128 balls dug Australia out of a hole to beat Afghanistan and inspired a nation - especially since he did it while switching between slogging and writhing around on the ground in agony as his whole body cramped.

It was fitting he hit the winning runs against India after Head got out just one run short of India's total.

The mercurial Maxwell has launched himself into the picture as one of our greatest ever short-form cricketers - both in the one-day internationals and the T20 arenas.

Adding to his charm is the fact he's got the ability to produce the brilliance of a hobbling, match-winning 201 one day and then backing it up by either breaking his leg at a barbecue or concussing himself by falling off the back of a golf cart.

The Aussies also bucked the spin trend on turning Indian decks, sticking to their all-star pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins throughout.

But this current era still has a way to go to match the three World Cup wins in a row from 1999-2007.

That era also produced the world-record feat of winning 16 Test matches in a row - not once, but twice. Firstly from 1999-2001 and then again from 2005-2008.

Now that's going to take some catching.

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