Australia beat India in Twenty20 international thanks to huge knock from opener Matthew Wade

India won the toss and elected to bowl first, and also made a poor start to its chase. It was struggling at 72-5 before top-scorer Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the crease to steady the innings and provide the only spark. He hit 48 off 43 balls with a boundary and three sixes but India managed just 140-6.

Opening partner David Warner made a quick-fire 25 from 14 balls before being caught by Suresh Raina off Vinay Kumar.

George Bailey, the first Australian since 1877 to be made captain in his international debut, finished at 12 not out.

India debutant Rahul Sharma had to leave Olympic Stadium to treat an injured hand in the ninth over after dropping a Travis Birt chance. The leg-spinner returned to bowl the final over and claim the wicket of Hussey to finish with 1-27.

India opener Virender Sehwag continued his run of poor form in Australia, falling for just 4 off the fourth delivery of the chase to Brett Lee.

Former test spinner Brad Hogg (1-21), aged 40, marked his first international T20 since 2007 by claiming the key wicket of Virat Kohli for 22.

The next Twenty20 will be on Friday at Melbourne.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke hit double centuries as Australia pile runs and pressure on deflated India

Paceman Peter Siddle struck in the first ball of his first over to remove Sehwag caught and bowled for 18 after the opener got the bottom of his bat onto a full toss.

Dravid was bowled for the sixth time in seven innings in the series in the next over, deceived by a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery that struck the Indian on his elbow and hit the stumps.

Already 3-0 down in the series after three emphatic defeats, India had laboured in the field as Clarke and Ponting ruthlessly, and often stylishly, drove home their advantage.

Resuming at 335-3, they passed their own record partnership for Australia against India of 288, which they set in the Sydney test, inside the first hour.

The next mark to fall was the all-time record partnership for the Adelaide Oval, which came when they exceeded the 341 that Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock shared in 1964.

Clarke brought up his second double century of the series after his unbeaten 329 in the Sydney test just before lunch with two runs through mid-wicket, celebrating with his ritual kiss of the insignia on his helmet.

The 30 year-old took 361 minutes and 255 balls to reach the milestone with another imperious display, which included 25 fours and one six.

Ponting was not far behind but was forced to wait nervously over the lunch break for his second double century against India at Adelaide after the 242 he hit in a losing cause in 2003-04.

The sixth double century of his career finally came courtesy of a trademark pull to midwicket for his 21st four in the 459-minute, 357-ball innings and the celebration left no doubt what it meant to the Tasmanian.

Clarke had already departed after being bowled between bat and pad by paceman Umesh Yadav, the first wicket to fall in more than three full sessions.

The stand was two runs short of the Australian record for a fourth-wicket partnership set by Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford when they made 388 at Headingly in 1934.

Mike Hussey, who had waited six hours and 20 minutes to bat, made a quickfire 25 from 33 balls before a brilliant Gambhir throw ran him out.

Ponting followed soon afterwards when another pull off Zaheer Khan found a leaping Tendulkar on the mid-wicket boundary.

Spinner Ravi Ashwin's carrom ball accounted for Peter Siddle (2) to give wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, standing in for banned India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his first test catch.

Brad Haddin, who hit a six to open his account, had made 42 not out and shared a 71-run partnership with Ryan Harris (35 not out) when Clarke called them back to the dressing room.

Australia ready to inflict more pain on Duncan Fletcher and India as they target a whitewash

Gautam Gambhir is little better, while Kohli has scored just 43 runs in four innings. There has not been a century anywhere.

So Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, whose dropping of a few catches has not silenced his sledging, has weighed in by observing that India “break quicker than anyone in the world” when under pressure.

Good on Zaheer Khan for retorting: “Brad Haddin should focus on his keeping. That looks really fragile to me.”

The truth, however, is that while India can draw some inspiration from a victory in Perth on their last tour in 2007/08, also when 2-0 down, there is a distinct possibility that this series could end 4-0, just as the calamitous Test series against England did last summer.

After some good performances at home against the West Indies – winning the Test series 2-0 and the one-day series 4-1 – and indeed a 5-0 one-day success over England, the age-old frailties abroad have resurfaced.

Quite simply, they don’t like it up ’em, a situation which is likely to be exaggerated on the bouncy surface at the Waca.

They will be helped, though, by the absence of the injured James Pattinson, the young fast bowler who scattered them to all parts in the first two Tests. He has joined Pat Cummins and Mitchell Johnson on the long-term injury list and is replaced by Ryan Harris.

Fletcher knew of these potential difficulties when taking the job. The leaving of some legends was always going to take place on his watch.

He was excited by the young talent, and it blossomed in that recent one-day series against England. It is with them that he can do his best work, and he is only eight months into a two-year task.

As his Australian counterpart, Mickey Arthur, said: “Technically Duncan is one of the best I’ve spoken to. He knows the game inside out.”

Before taking the job Fletcher talked long and hard with his predecessor Gary Kirsten, and has been careful not to alter the team’s regime from that which helped them scale the summit of the Test rankings and to win the World Cup. Kirsten would have taken them go-karting, too.

Besides, the tourists are due a day or two off. Since last summer, their treadmill has not stopped. After the fourth Test they play eight ODIs in a triangular tournament with the hosts and Sri Lanka, and a possible best-of-three final in March.

It may get worse before it gets better, for Fletcher and for his team.