Steve Smith revealed his magnificent innings against England gave him "the shakes" after he came to Australia's rescue in the first Ashes Test.
The former Australia captain struck 144 off 219 deliveries in his first Test appearance since the ball-tampering scandal.
Australia certainly needed its talismanic batsman at his best, having slumped to 122-8 before salvaging a total of 284 at Edgbaston.
And Smith could not hide his emotion after digging his side out of a hole before England closed on 10 without loss.
"I got the shakes a bit and all the hairs on my neck stood up," Smith told BBC Sport's Test Match Special.
"I have worked really hard in the last 18 months to come back and prove a few people wrong. I have heard a few people say I struggle against the seaming ball so it was nice on the first outing here to dig deep and get through.
"I am lost for words at the moment."
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Smith, who along with David Warner received a hostile reception from the English crowd during the World Cup, was booed by the home faithful in Birmingham when he was finally dismissed, but the 30-year-old took little notice.
"It doesn't bother me. I don't really listen," he added.
"I did get good support from the Australia contingent. They were very loud and the boys on the sideline and in the dugout were cheering me on. That is what matters to me."
England's Jos Buttler, meanwhile, acknowledged the hosts were frustrated not to have taken full advantage of the position they found themselves in by mid-afternoon.
"It's frustrating, isn't it? He played a fantastic innings," Buttler told Sky Sports when asked to comment on Smith's performance.
"Do you put everyone back and suck it up? I think you have to try and find a way of keeping a dismissal in the game as well.
"I think we bowled fantastically well, the partnership between Siddle and Smith, it was frustrating that we couldn't break it earlier."
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