1st Test: Australia 354/6 against India at stumps on day 1

Opting to bat first, Australia rode on Warner's 10th Test century and were cruising along comfortably before India struck three vital blows at the fag end of the day to reduce the hosts to 354 for six at the Adelaide Oval.

The home team was comfortably placed at 258 for two when Warner became debutant spinner Karn Sharma's maiden victim, which triggered a collapse of sorts with Mitchell Marsh (41), night-watchman Nathan Lyon (3) and Brad Haddin (0) falling in quick succession to help India stage a fightback.

Steven Smith was unbeaten on 72 when stumps were drawn for the day with four balls still to be bowled.

Earlier, the stadium witnessed a gamut of emotions before the commencement of the match as spectators clapped for exactly 63 seconds as a mark of respect for Hughes. Both teams wore black arm bands while the Australians had Hughes' Test cap No 408 inscribed on their jerseys.

But nothing was more poignant than Warner, who was at his attacking best, but at the same time was finding it difficult to keep his emotions under check.

When he reached a personal score of 63, he raised his bat and looked heavenward as a tribute to his mate.

On reaching his century, Warner again broke down and skipper Michael Clarke, batting at the other end, came over and gave him a hug.

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Shane Watson using Hughes' locker in Adelaide Oval

The 33-year-old Watson was one of four Australian players on the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Hughes was felled by a bouncy delivery during a Sheffield Shield game about two weeks ago. The bouncer proved to be so fatal that Hughes' life was cut short at 25.

As per the allocations of seats inside the dressing room, the experienced Watson is occupying the chair of his once younger Australian teammate, who had made South Australia his home.

Australian captain Michael Clarke is is keeping his gears in the locker of Redbacks batsman Tom Cooper, Hughes' housemate and the man at the other end when tragedy struck on November 25. Having never regained consciousness, Hughes passed away two days later.

Hughes, whose name is still mentioned above the locker at Adelaide Oval, is the 13th man for the first Test and his title appeared on the official team sheet submitted this morning.

His Test number 408 is being worn by every Australian players instead of their own, the number placed below the crest on their shirts.

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Adelaide celebrates life of Hughes, '13th man' of Oz squad

As Australia named their playing XI for the match, pacer Josh Hazlewood was listed as the 12th man and the players wanted to include Hughes' name as the 13th man in the list.

Ten days back, cricket world struck by tragedy when Hughes passed away after failing to recover being hit by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a Sheffield Shield game. An entire nation went into mourning.

As the on-field action commenced today, it was all about celebrating the life of the ever-smiling Hughes with everyone present at the Adelaide Oval applauding in unison for exactly 63 seconds.

Incidentally, Hughes was batting on 63 when he was struck by Abbott's bouncer.

As a mark of respect, both teams wore black arm-bands. The entire Australian side had '408' inscribed in their white jerseys. The number is significant as Hughes was the 408th cricketer to play in Tests for Australia.

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Tragic build-up but India, Australia ready for tough Tests

More than two weeks after landing here, India will finally get down to serious competition with Virat Kohli leading the side in place of Mahendra Singh Dhoni,who is still recovering from a hairline fracture in his right thumb.

Indians are also dealing with uncertainty surrounding medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar even as Australian skipper Michael Clarke was declared fit for the game. The visitors will be hoping to reverse their last Test series' result in this country, when under Dhoni they had lost 4-0 in 2011-12. However, that thought will not be at the forefront when the match begins on Tuesday.

Instead, it will be a emotion-laden atmosphere that will welcome both teams, and for good reason. Adelaide is the adopted home of Hughes and there will be an intense outpouring of emotion before play gets underway. Cricket Australia and South Australia Cricket Association have quite a few plans about honouring the cricketer, who was hit by a bouncer on November 24 in a Sheffield Shield game in Sydney and died two days later.

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Not going to change aggressive bowling: Johnson

The series had been delayed owing to Hughes' death after being hit on the head by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield game two weeks ago.
   
"We've got to play the way that we've been playing and that's been aggressive. That's the way I've always played the game and I know how the boys will be, going out there and playing the best cricket they can. If that's bowling the short ball like we have been, then that's how we'll do it," said Johnson ahead of the first Test.
   
"We'll assess the conditions obviously, but we're not going to change a thing. As a bowling unit, the last probably 18 months for me personally I've been bowling very aggressive and I'm not going to change that," he added.
   
When asked pertinently, what his reaction would be if he hit a batsman on the head, Johnson replied, "I'm not sure. It might be a different reaction this time. I haven't hit anyone yet so I don't know how I'm going to feel."

Cricket Australia and South Australia Cricket Association have planned rich tributes to their late cricketer. Hughes has been declared as the 13th man for the Australian team with all the playing members wearing his cap number 408 on their Test jerseys in this first match of the series.
   
"It's really special," said Johnson about the tribute. "His family, I think, that would make them very proud. I'm very proud to be able to wear that number through this Test. We've named him as the 13th man as well. It's all very special."
   
It has been a stressful time for the Australian players to return to cricket. Their rehabilitation began on Friday with a team-building exercise and since then they have had training sessions leading to this first Test.

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Hughes death will affect Aussie attack against India: Ian Chappell

"It's only natural for a bowler to be hesitant when unleashing a short-pitched delivery with the ghastly reminder of the consequences of bad luck still fresh in the memory.

This hesitancy will affect the Australian fast bowlers more than the Indian attack," Chappell said.

"The bouncer was expected to be a prime weapon of an Australian attack better equipped to dish out intimidating deliveries. With no bowler wanting to hit a batsman in these circumstances, this will have a greater effect on the Australian attack," he said.

Chappell said the players will have to nonetheless get on with the job. The series has already seen some rescheduling due to the tragedy with the first Test -- originally planned from December 4 -- postponed to allow the grieving players to attend Hughes' funeral on December 3.

"The cricket at the Gabba won't be played with the usual intensity but it will probably be the best therapy for all the players. The bouncers won't stop. They will still be unleashed to put some doubt in the batsman's mind. However, I doubt they will be delivered with the same venom in the immediate aftermath of the SCG calamity," Chappell said.

Meanwhile, former Australian pacer Geoff Lawson said he is not in favour of the bouncers being banned altogether, insisting that the focus should be on providing adequate security gear to batsmen.

"I vaguely went through some numbers in my mind for how many games of cricket are played every Saturday around Australia and I had a random figure of 10,000," Lawson, who was at the Sydney Cricket Ground when the tragedy occurred, was quoted saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

"There's about a million balls, maybe more, bowled every Saturday in Australia, there might be 50,000 bouncers bowled every Saturday in Australia. You do the numbers and the one that caused the death...and it is so terrible...you don't want a knee-jerk reaction and make rules for exceptions," he said.

Chappell echoed the sentiment and said Hughes was terribly unlucky to have lost his life after being hit at the back of his head during a domestic game earlier this week.

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India hold closed training session wearing black arm-band

Hughes, 25, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Sydney where he was battling for life after being hit by a bouncer from Sean Abbott during a domestic match between South Australia and New South Wales on Tuesday.

To honour the Australian batsman, the Indian team did not use the main ground at Adelaide Oval and each and every single member of the visiting contingent sported a black arm-band as a mark of respect for the departed cricketer.

South Australia Cricket Association, meanwhile, laid out his cap, jersey and bat at the centre-wicket of the ground in Hughes' memory.

Later the association's CEO Keith Bradshaw held a press conference in which he thanked everyone for the warm wishes received for Hughes and his family in this tough hour.

"I would like to send our love and support for the Hughes family in these troubled times. There really are no words that we can use to express our feelings of hurt and sadness at the moment. We would like to thank everyone who was with us in the support and care of Phillip Hughes," he said.

"Phillip was loved by us all. He was loved by everyone. He was a remarkable talent and a remarkable person. In the short time he was with us here at South Australia, he attended many coaching clinics for our children. He had a real passion for doing that and the children loved him and he will remain a hero in their minds forever," he said.

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