Smith nears ton as Clarke bats on in pain

ADELAIDE: Steve Smith's push for a century was thwarted by rain as captain Michael Clarke made a courageous return to the crease on the second day of the opening Test against India on Wednesday.

Rain forced an early lunch at the Adelaide Oval with Smith on 98 and Clarke a defiant 85 not out with the home side moving their score along to 405 without further loss from an overnight 354 for six.

Smith was vying for his fifth Test century and thrived alongside his skipper, who was battling a significant lower back injury.

Clarke returned to the crease at the outset of day two and batted clearly in discomfort, but he provided dependable support for Smith.

Clarke, who needed injections to resume his innings after retiring hurt on the opening day, grimaced and yelped in pain as he twisted his torso to play some shots.

His running between the wickets was constrained, but he and Smith kept the scoreboard ticking over with a handful of sweetly-timed boundaries.

The Australian skipper has earned a reputation for courageous displays. Last March he batted on with a fractured left shoulder in an unbeaten 161 to help his team to a 2-1 series victory over South Africa in Cape Town.

Clarke only played in the Adelaide Test after passing a fitness test for recurring hamstring trouble.

Team physio Alex Kountouris said he was struggling with a "significant back injury."

"This is his right lower back. This is his old injury, what he's had in the past. I don't think it's directly related to his hamstring, because it's the other side," Kountouris said before the start of Wednesday's play.

"We believe it's related to his old disc injuries. With that comes a lot of muscle spasms and other things that cause pain."

The morning session took place under cloudy skies with the ground's floodlights switched on.

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