Clarke to play, Hughes named 13th man

Michael Clarke is set to play in the First Test against India, with Phillip Hughes named 13th man as part of a series of touching gestures following his death.

Clarke had to overcome a hamstring injury and will lead the Australians in the rescheduled series opener at Adelaide Oval. Paceman Josh Hazlewood is to be 12th man and Shaun Marsh was not included after being called in as cover for Clarke. In announcing their team this morning, Australia revealed plans to honour Hughes who died after being hit in the head by a bouncer.Along with naming Hughes as 13th man, Australia's players will also wear his Test number, 408, on their shirts.The crowd will also be asked to remember the batsman by applauding for 63 seconds, the number which has become symbolic after Hughes' final innings of 63 not out."It's really special, to make his family and Phil very proud. I'm certainly proud to be able to wear that number," Mitchell Johnson told reporters.The pace spearhead also described Clarke's inclusion as a welcome boost."It's a huge boost to have him back in and playing for us and with his captaincy," Johnson told reporters on Monday."And it shows how strong he has been over the last couple of weeks with the tragedy we have had."He is a strong leader and has always been an aggressive leader ... he just has something about him when he's out there as captain."Clarke has been praised for his handling of the death of fringe Australian batsman Phil Hughes, who died after being struck in the head by a ball when batting for South Australia.Johnson said Hughes' death remained in the forefront of the minds of players."It's going to be an emotional morning ... for me going out there bowling, the first spell might be the most difficult," Johnson said.But the express quick said he would have no hesitation in bouncing Indian batsmen."We have got to play the way we have been playing and that has been aggressive ... if that is bowling the short ball like we have been, then that will be what we do," Johnson said."The vibe is good, everyone is keen to get out there and play some cricket now."We have got to wait and see how we feel when we get out there, everybody will feel a little bit different."Johnson said he was uncertain how he would respond if one of his deliveries struck a batsman in the head."It might be different this time but I don't know how I'm going to feel," he said.

Earlier on Monday, all-rounder Shane Watson hailed Clarke for his leadership following Hughes' tragic death.

"Michael has been incredible over the last two weeks," Watson told Tim Gilbert on TODAY this morning.

"His strength has just been phenomenal, how he looked after Phillip's family.

"He was there every single second of the day."

Battling an injured hamstring, Clarke had trained strongly in the nets in recent days.

His inclusion in the team denies Shaun Marsh the chance to play alongside brother, Mitch, while veteran paceman Peter Siddle won the race to play against fellow speedster Josh Hazelwood.

Watson said Clarke had the potential to shine following the events of the past fortnight.

"I'd be extremely surprised if he didn't peel off another hundred because he's got a lot to play for, as we all do."

Watson was on the field when his international teammate Hughes, 25, collapsed after being hit by a bouncer.

He said returning to normality had been difficult.

"We're going as well as we possibly can, it's certainly been a tragic couple of weeks," Watson said.

"The first session that I had was very difficult, every session that I've had is getting better and my mind is getting clearer.

"I was on the field when Phillip got hit unfortunately, so I had those visions flashing back through my mind."

The injury-prone Watson confirmed he would bowl during the Test series, likely sharing all-rounder duties with talented youngster Mitchell Marsh.

The Australian side will be looking to bounce back following their crushing loss to Pakistan in the UAE, while Watson said the side's disastrous 4-0 series loss to India last year on the sub-continent still burned deeply.

In the absence of injured skipper MS Dhoni, batsman Virat Kohli will lead the touring Indians in the First Test.