Cricket: Rescheduled game a test of character as much as cricket

Anticipation builds before the first ball of the opening test because anything is possible - all the more so when David Warner or Mitchell Johnson is charged with firing the opening salvo.

This stage of the year is usually one of great excitement for Australian cricketers.

For the 11 men lucky enough to represent their nation, there should be the unique brand of nervous tension created by a home test series.

For the million that play the game in Australia, there would ordinarily be debate over selections and series predictions.

Anticipation builds before the first ball of the opening test because anything is possible - all the more so when David Warner or Mitchell Johnson is charged with firing the opening salvo.

But this year Phillip Hughes' death has cast a pall over proceedings.

Ever since Hughes was struck by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG on November 25, this summer was always going to be different to any other.

The constant reminder of that fact has been the grief etched on the face of Michael Clarke.

It was there when Clarke delivered a statement on behalf of Hughes' family at St Vincent's Hospital after the 25-year-old's life support was switched off.

It was there when the captain fronted the press two days later at the SCG. "Our dressing room will never be the same," he said, wiping away tears.

It was there during Clarke's eulogy at the funeral, saying his close friend's spirit "will act as a custodian of the sport we all love".

It was there when Clarke was one of eight pallbearers that carried Hughes' coffin out of Macksville High School hall.

And it will be there on Tuesday, when the rescheduled first test against India starts at Hughes' adopted homeground Adelaide Oval instead of the Gabba.

Brad Haddin, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Shane Watson were all in the field for NSW when Hughes was felled. The entire squad is devastated.

"Any player that is not comfortable or doesn't feel right, or there is medical advice to suggest that they're not quite right, then we will obviously understand that," said Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland.

It will be a confronting occasion for everyone at Adelaide Oval, with no sense of normality as India bids for a first test series win in Australia.

Will Johnson bang it in short with the same venom and regularity he did a year ago, terrorising England's batsmen in a 5-0 Ashes sweep?

Will the hosts sledge Virat Kohli in the same fashion they did in 2012, when he struck a maiden test century in Adelaide? And how will 11 Australians get through the toughest test of their careers?

It will be an incredibly sombre occasion, but also a celebration of Hughes' life.

- AAP