Australia became the first country to win the cricket World Cup three times after retaining the trophy with a 125-run victory over India at the Wanderers.
After amassing 359 for two, which dwarfed the previous best final total of 291 for eight in 60 overs by the West Indies in their defeat of Australia at Lord's in 1975, Australia kept taking regular wickets from the first over when Glenn McGrath dismissed Sachin Tendulkar.
Their mammoth total was their highest-ever limited-overs score, an unbeaten 140 coming from captain Ricky Ponting's punishing bat, including eight sixes.
Half-centuries from Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn, who shared in an unbroken double hundred stand, gave staunch support to the captain's late assault which saw him score 90 from just 47 balls once he had passed 50.
The major threat to completing what was always likely to be a formality was a rain shower which drove the players off the field with India on 103 for three, in the 17th over, still short of the required overs to make a game.
However, that only delayed their push for victory by 25 minutes and any chance of the highest-ever chase in a one-day international being completed evaporated when Virender Sehwag's 82, at a run a ball, was ended by Darren Lehmann's direct hit from mid-off.
In truth, India needed something miraculous from Sehwag's opening partner Tendulkar, who entered the match having piled up 669 runs in 10 innings to guarantee himself the man-of-the-tournament award.
Having pulled McGrath for four, though, another short ball cost him his wicket as he steepled a top-edged pull to the bowler, running around to midwicket.
Some lusty hitting from Sehwag and intelligent running between the wickets from Rahul Dravid, in an 88-run fourth-wicket partnership, threatened to get the Indians closer.
But in the end Sourav Ganguly will rue his decision to ask the reigning champions, who matched the Windies' feat of the 1970s of retaining the trophy, to bat first on a deck of pace and bounce.
Ponting and Martyn, who made 88 not out despite a fracture in his right index finger, added 109 in the last 10 overs to set up Australia's 17th consecutive one-day win.
PA