India’s spectacular 72-run win at the WACA, one of the acknowledged strongholds of Australian cricket, has reinforced the virtues of team work, positive thinking and self belief. In the aftermath of the unpleasantness triggered by a chain of events during and after the Sydney Test, Anil Kumble and his men could so easily have fallen victims to a siege mentality and slipped into a quagmire of negativity. It was in their ability to disassociate themselves from off-field distractions and focus unwaveringly on the task of playing, and playing well, that the first giant steps towards victory in Perth were taken. Team spirit is a much hyped term, usually bandied about only when things go well. The sense of bonding in this Indian team was all too obvious even before they closed ranks behind Harbhajan Singh after Sydney and resolved to stick together, come what may. Team spirit with team effort is a potent combination, as even the all-conquering Australians found out the hard way.

No praise can be too high for the manner in which India stopped a stunning Australian streak dead in its tracks. Ricky Ponting’s band believed a record 17th Test win was almost a foregone conclusion, especially considering the WACA’s reputation for throwing up quick, bouncy surfaces designed to unsettle the opposition. Perhaps, the Aussies underestimated India’s resilience and work ethics. From the moment Kumble won the toss and opted to bat, the hunters became the hunted as India turned the series on its head.

India had a multitude of heroes to thank for one of their most famous wins ever. No one, though, stood taller than the captain. Kumble is not unemotional, as he revealed in Sydney and later, but the sign of a great leader is to channelise emotional outrage and use it positively. As a skipper, he was outstanding, coaxing and cajoling his young pace attack into performing above itself after the established batting line-up had laid a solid base. As a bowler, he was only slightly less so as he became only the third cricketer to take 600 Test wickets. That figure is a tribute not merely to his longevity as he enters his 18th year as an international cricketer, but also to his constant desire to learn and keep improving each day. India's greatest match-winner is also the greatest role model in the change room, his value worth infinitely more than his unquestionably impressive statistics.