Agencies, Adelaide :Australia captain Michael Clarke will play in what is expected to be an emotion-charged first test against India after overcoming a hamstring injury to take his place in the Adelaide Oval match.Virat Kohli said Monday he will lead India in the opening Test against Australia in place of the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni and urged his players to adopt a positive mindset.There had been speculation that regular skipper Dhoni would resume the captaincy for Tuesday’s Adelaide Test after his late arrival in Australia as he recovers from a fractured thumb.But Kohli confirmed at the Adelaide Oval that he would take charge of the first of four Tests, determined to expunge the memories of India’s humiliating series loss this year in England. Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson says Clarke is “100 percent fit” and will lead a team Tuesday that includes paceman Josh Hazlewood as 12th man.An honorary “13th man” will be Phillip Hughes, who died on Nov. 27 after being hit by a short-pitched delivery in a domestic match. Hughes will also be given a tribute ahead of the start of the match on Tuesday.Johnson said Hughes’ death would be in the minds of all players on Tuesday.”It’s going to be an emotional morning … for me going out there bowling, the first spell might be the most difficult,” Johnson said Monday.Johnson also said Clarke’s place in the side will be a “huge boost” for the hosts.”I think with his captaincy and he showed how strong he’s been over the past couple of weeks with the tragedy that we’ve had,” Johnson said. “He is a strong captain and we need him out there in this tough series.”Clarke was front and center in the days following Hughes’ fatal injuries and death two days later. The captain read a family statement in the hours after the batsman died and was a pallbearer and speaker at his close friend’s funeral last week.His hamstring issues originally would have kept him Clarke out of the scheduled first test last week at the Gabba in Brisbane. Instead, the Brisbane test was shifted to next week, and Johnson says barring any injuries, Australia will take the same team into that match.Cricket Australia said spectators at the Adelaide Oval will be asked to stand for 63 seconds of applause before the match begins Tuesday. Hughes was 63 not out when he was struck by a short-pitched delivery at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Nov. 25.The Australian players will also wear Hughes’ test cap No. 408 on their shirts.Johnson said the pitch looked good for batting first-up, and that if Clarke won the toss, he would expect Australia to bat. The forecast for the opening day was for party cloudy skies and a high of 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit).India, which was holding an afternoon training session Monday, is expected to give an update on the injury status of skipper M.S. Dhoni, who is recovering from a fractured left thumb.Regardless of the somber tone coming into the match, India opener Shikhar Dhawan is not expecting anything but a fired-up Australian team led by Johnson.Dhawan hopes to react to that approach in the same way.”I feel that you need an aggressive opener in today’s cricket which can turn things around,” Dhawan said Sunday. “So that will be a very good thing for us. And I would love to play that role.”
