Australia have gone one-nil up in the two-match Twenty20 series against India with a convincing 31-run win at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
The two most talked-about men in Australian cricket for the past week combined to deliver a 31-run win over India in the opening Twenty20 on Wednesday night.
Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, the man chosen to replace Brad Haddin in the upcoming one-day series, first starred with a belligerent 72 off 43 balls in Australia's 4-171 off 20 overs at ANZ Stadium.
Then came the turn of this summer's fairytale man, Brad Hogg (1-21), who created the biggest roar from the massive 59,659 crowd when the 40-year-old claimed the wicket of Indian dangerman Virat Kohli (22) in his first over of Twenty20 international cricket since 2007.
Wade's Victorian team-mate David Hussey (2-4) also shone for the home team, making 42 runs, taking a catch and claiming two wickets as India could only manage 6-140 in reply.
Wade's knock began in quiet fashion, western Sydney product Dave Warner taking centre stage in the third over of the match with a remarkable display of hitting.
The 25-year-old sparked the game into life with a switch-hit six which flew straight for the game's first six.
Warner only lasted a few more balls before falling for 25, allowing Wade to step into the spotlight.
The 24-year-old cracked three sixes in his knock, including a 109-metre monster and another to pass 50, before falling shortly after a 20-minute rain delay had halted the Australian innings.
Hussey ensured Australia moved past 170 before the home team's bowlers heaped more misery on the hapless tourists, who have now lost five straight on their tour after the 4-0 Test series whitewash.
Brett Lee (1-36) got the ball rolling with the wicket of veteran Virender Sehwag (4) in the first over before the twin spin of Hussey and Hogg stalled the Indian innings with three wickets in as many overs.
Hussey struck first, luring Gautam Gambhir (20) to offer an easy catch to Mitchell Marsh before Hogg claimed his first T20 wicket in his third international appearance when Kohli was caught on the boundary by a delighted Warner.
Hussey then completed the collapse when he bowled Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck.
Dan Christian (2-35) ensured there would be no fightback with two wickets in his second spell although Indian captain MS Dhoni provided some late fireworks with an unbeaten 48 off 43 balls with three sixes.
Wade said he hadn't thought about the battle for the wicketkeeping spot with Haddin during his innings, he was just focused on doing his best with the opportunity presented to him.
"I was really happy to contribute and hopefully we can continue our form in Melbourne," he said.
"I'm not sure what Hadds was doing, I'm just concentrating on the stuff I can control, which is what I can do out in the middle.
"I'm not too concerned about what's going outside the cricket ground."
Bailey said the recent conclusion of the Big Bash League had helped his team hit the ground running when it came to an international Twenty20 contest.
"Apart from Dave Warner and SOS (Shaun Marsh), the rest of us have been playing BBL for six weeks, so the way we've been training, the way we've been preparing and thinking about the game, that's how we've been going," he said.
"For someone like Dave Warner it doesn't seem to matter, he's ready to go whatever the format."
Indian captain Dhoni said his decision to bowl first had been a gamble based on the bad weather in Sydney and had backfired when the pitch became slower and unpredictable during his team's chase.
"I think the weather played a big part in it," he said.
"With the rain forecast I said 'OK we'll look to chase' ... if it doesn't get better it'll remain the same and 172 I think would have been a good score (to chase) if the wicket had remained the same.
"All of the sudden it started to turn and grip ... it was difficult."
The second and final match in the series will be played in Melbourne at the MCG on Friday.
