Clarke (60 from 84 balls, nine fours) seemed destined to join David Warner on three figures when he was forced from the field on day one of the first Test.

The injury came from a seemingly innocuous incident in which Clarke barely moved under a high and wide Ishant Sharma bouncer.

After a long break in play, he walked gingerly from the field with the score on 206, and after adding 128 with Warner.

Runners are no longer allowed in world cricket, so Clarke had no option to retire, but he may resume batting later.

LIVE: Warner ton the perfect tribute

However that seems unlikely and the skipper must surely be in grave doubt for next week’s Brisbane Test and beyond.

At tea Australia was 2-238, with Warner on 131 (140 balls, 17b fours) and Steve Smith on 17 (23 balls, three fours) as India labours in tough conditions for bowlers.

Even without Clarke, the hosts appear destined for an imposing first innings total and a hard and true first Test strip.

Bringing up his century with a push to long-off, Warner completed the single while kissing the coat of arms on his helmet and staring to the heavens.

The 106-ball ton is all the more extraordinary as Warner was said to be struggling to deal with Phillip Hughes’ death more than some of his teammates.

After a scratchy start, Clarke blossomed to join Warner in the run feast.

Clarke squirted an unconvincing boundary through gully before a cracking straight driven four snapped him into action.

The feet started moving and the boundaries kept coming; next a square cut and then a back foot cover drive from the same Mohammed Shami over.

The 50 partnership ticked over and Warner celebrated by punching Ishant to the point boundary before Clarke unfurled his pull.

Clarke survived a loud caught behind appeal when on 37 but replays showed his inside edge clipped his pad.

He compounded the tourists’ torment by punching the next ball wide of mid-on to the rope.

The Australians are building a total as they must for a par score on this fast and flat track is surely 400 and probably more than that even.

On a morning when the players and crowd honoured Phillip Hughes before and during play, Warner looked to the heavens when he passed 50, reached 63 — Hughes’s not out score in his final innings — and made his 100.

The crowd rose to applaud the left-hander just as they had applauded another left-handed opener for 63 seconds before play.

They also stood in a sustained ovation to welcome Clarke to the crease, and even applauded the first bouncer, bowled by Varun Aaron.

And such has been the quality of Warner’s hand Clarke stopped to clap some of his shots from the other end.

The day has belonged to Hughes but Warner is coming a close second.

He opened with a bang, even for him, in a flurry of fours after cracking the first to the extra cover boundary.

Two more sped to the Members rope in the same Aaron over, before he dabbed a single to keep the strike.

Then he really opened up, hitting Mohammed Shami for three fours through cover and a three through mid-off to race to 28 at the end of the third over.

Adelaide curator Damian Hough said before play the pitch was possibly the hardest he had produced since the change to drop-ins last summer.

The extra pace suited Warner to a tee as he raced to 37 in the first half-hour — in five overs.

At drinks — and after just 11 overs — Warner was on 42 from just 34 balls (seven fours).

The cover and square drives were his most productive strokes and he was not beaten in a session where he looked completely at ease.

Given a decent over rate — just 24 overs were bowled in the morning — he would have had a century in a session.

Shane Watson (14) also looked right at home before he flashed at an Aaron length ball and was well caught by Shikhar Dhawan at second slip.

It was an ill-advised shot on a wicket chock full of runs.

Earlier, Rogers was caught at second slip by Dhawan from Ishant Sharma for nine.

It was a loose attempt at cover driving a good length ball that was not really there for the shot.

Ishant bowled a tight and probing spell that included a well-aimed bouncer to welcome Watson to the wicket.

The wicket is so true Watson was comfortable enough to open his account with a boundary through mid-wicket — from an ball Ishant ball on off stump.

Aaron received warm applause from the Adelaide members when he bowled the first bouncer of cricket’s new age.

It was as if they were welcoming cricket’s true return, and making a statement about calls to ban the bouncer.

The Australians paid tribute to Hughes by standing their bats — each crowned with a Baggy Green — against the fence alongside the race.

In the ultimate “bring out your bat”, Peter Siddle took one out for the pre-play ceremony.

Then the more than 10,000 in the ground stood for 63 seconds of applause for Hughes in surely the most moving moment in the ground’s hallowed history.

Australian players embraced during the national anthem; Clarke poignantly held team talisman Barry “Nugget” Rees tight at the right of the line.

“He’ll be with us the whole way,” Clarke said of Hughes at the toss.

Australia: Chris Rogers, Dave Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon.

India: M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddiman Saha, Karn Sharma, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami.