Big Picture
A fortnight ago, everyone thought the first Test would be finishing
today if it hadn't already, the teams wrapping things up at the Gabba
and about to move on to Adelaide Oval. They thought the series would
begin without either side being led by their regular captain. They
thought that Michael Clarke's hamstring was the most important issue
affecting the Australian team. They thought that Phillip Hughes was a
strong chance to replace Clarke in Australia's XI. Nobody ever thought
cricket would witness what it has over the past two weeks. And when the
tragedy of Hughes' death became a reality, nobody thought it would be a
big surprise if the series was trimmed back to three Tests to give the
players some grieving time.
But, here we are at the new beginning. A reworked fixture retained all
four Tests in the series, which now starts in Adelaide before moving on
to Brisbane. Clarke was certain to miss the Gabba Test had it started
last Thursday, but now will lead the Australians in a Test that will be
more emotional than any they have played. Clarke saw Hughes as a "little
brother" and struggled to hold back tears while delivering his
remarkable tribute at Wednesday's funeral. Australia could not risk
Clarke reinjuring his hamstring at the start of such an enormous summer,
but it was also unthinkable that anyone else might lead Australia in
Adelaide. Fortunately, he has looked genuinely fit at training.
MS Dhoni has also looked fit at training, but unlike Clarke has been
ruled out as he continues to recover from a broken thumb. India will be
captained by Virat Kohli, whose task is to ensure his men are up and
ready for the challenge of a Test match given their unusual preparation.
Not only was their previous Test series cancelled when West Indies
pulled out, but since arriving in Australia they have had a pair of
two-day matches separated by a period of mourning for Hughes and a trip
to the funeral for several of the players.
But then, nothing about this match will quite be normal, as much as
everyone wants to be able to switch their focus to the cricket. Tributes
to Hughes will include 63 seconds of applause from the crowd and
players before the match, the Australians wearing his Test number 408 on
their shirts, and his being listed as "13th man" on the Australian team
sheet. Many questions remain, including how the Australian players will
mentally handle returning to action after farewelling their team-mate.
But as Clarke said in his speech at Hughes' funeral: "We must play on".
Form guide
Australia LLWLW
India LLLWD
In the spotlight
One of the great unknowns is how the tragedy of Hughes' death will
affect the use of the bouncer, and the response of players and fans to
its bowling. Never will that be more the case than when one of the
world's fastest and most fearsome bowlers,
Mitchell Johnson,
is operating. There can be no doubt that England's batsmen were at
times scared of Johnson during last year's Ashes campaign on these same
pitches, and presumably India's batsmen will be no different this
summer. It will be just as interesting to see how often Johnson uses the
bouncer, and whether he gives it everything when he does.
India have few reasons to remember their previous Test tour of Australia
with fondness, but it was notable as the series in which
Virat Kohli
came of age as a Test player. In just his second Test series, Kohli was
India's leading run scorer and was third only to Clarke and Ricky
Ponting on the series tally, which was a fine effort given Australia's
dominance over the four Tests. He was also the only Indian to score a
century, which he achieved in the fourth Test in Adelaide. Now, he
returns to the same venue captaining his country.
Team news
Australia named their side on the day before the match, with Clarke
passed fit and Shaun Marsh therefore left out. Josh Hazlewood was the
unlucky bowler to miss selection. Shane Watson returns to the Test side
after missing the series against Pakistan in the UAE due to injury, and
is expected to slot in at No.3.
Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4
Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin
(wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan
Lyon.
The absence of Dhoni means Wriddiman Saha will keep wickets and Kohli
will captain India for the first time in a Test. It also appears
unlikely that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will play due to an ankle injury, which
would leave Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Mohammad Shami as the
probably pace attack.
India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar
Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7
Wriddiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11
Mohammad Shami.
Pitch and conditions
Adelaide Oval now uses drop-in pitches but the curator Damian Hough said
on match eve that he expected "a typical Adelaide Oval pitch" for the
Test. "Hopefully there is a little bit in it early, it's going to be
good to bat on, and then take a little bit of spin and some
inconsistency later in the game," Hough said. The forecast for most of
the Test is for fine weather and temperatures in the high 20s.
Stats and trivia
