Players, coaches and fans stand for 63 seconds of applause in memory of Phillip Hughes before the First Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval. Source: Getty Images

The tributes were subtle, heartfelt and they were constant.

But most of all, Hughes was honoured because after two weeks of mourning, Test cricket returned in all its glory.

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From the theatre of David Warner’s spectacular hundred to the drama of Michael Clarke’s latest injury crisis — the game that Hughes loved so much showed it can’t be stopped.

“We’re ready to go,” a fitter Clarke emphasised at the toss.

That determination then endorsed by 63 seconds of spine-tingling applause for Hughes from an Adelaide crowd modest in size but glowing in respect.

Tributes to the late Phillip Hughes are left outside the Adelaide Oval. Source: Getty Images

An eerie silence might have endured through to the end of an awkward first over, but from the first ball he faced, Warner thumped to the boundary and the sounds of cricket returned.

The roars of enthusiasm as Warner belted seven fours from his first 15 balls for a strike rate exceeding 200.

All from a man who held Hughes’ hand as he was rushed off the SCG a fortnight ago and struggled to sleep in the days following as a result of the trauma.

David Warner remembers his opening partner before the first ball. Picture: Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

Then there was the audible gasp across the ground when without a moment’s notice, captain Clarke — charging towards a hundred of his own — fell to the ground in excruciating pain.

Before he could reach the sacred mark of 63, Clarke limped gingerly from the ground for 60 — Australia holding their collective breath for a skipper whose body is now failing him at an alarming rate.

It was bad news.

But reassuring in the sense that the rich tapestry of intrigue that makes the game tick hasn’t been deflated by the Hughes tragedy.

Life must go on. And it has.

Michael Clarke has his back examined by the team doctor. Picture: Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

But not before Hughes’ permanent presence at adopted home the Adelaide Oval was celebrated by a welcome to country.

This is a connection much deeper than the display of his picture and name in the Australian dressing rooms.

“This is a place of spirit and strength,” said an Indigenous leader on-field.

“We gather to remember our brother.”

Cricket’s spiritual leader, Richie Benaud also paid his respects in a video tribute that summed up the emotion of the occasion without pushing players’ over the edge.

“Phillip Hughes. Forever. Rest in peace, son.”

Proud Australian Clarke always sings the national anthem.

Michael Clarke looks up to the sky during the 63-second applause for the late Phillip Hughes. Source: Getty Images

But not yesterday.

Clarke remained silent, no doubt thinking about his statement earlier that morning that Hughes “will be the 13th man for the rest of our careers.”

Steve Smith rubbed his eyes through every verse.

Warner couldn’t raise his head, so overcome was he by the emotion.

Teammates rallied around their pugnacious opener, rubbing his head in encouragement, as he slowly trudged off the ground to compose himself.

When he returned a few minutes later, Warner grabbed an Australian flag hanging from the race and rubbed it across his helmet.

Fans around the Adelaide Oval during the 63 seconds of applause for Phillip Hughes. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: News Corp Australia

He then sprinted out on his own to the middle, looking high into the heavens.

An upwards stare he repeated when he reached 37 — the score that would have completed Hughes’ 63 not out.

At 50, and most significantly at 63 — raising his bat to the sky and then resting on his haunches to gather his thoughts before taking guard again.

When Warner passed 100, his seventh in his last 11 Tests, he took a moment to soak it all in and then the emotion poured out.

Warner leapt high into the air — a celebration Hughes was also known for — and pointed his bat and his right arm to the sky.

David Warner and Michael Clarke embrace after the left-hander brought up his century. AP Photo: James Elsby Source: AP

He and Clarke embraced in the middle, two men who have ridden the roller coaster of heartbreak as much as any cricketer these past two weeks.

Each player wore a specially designed black armband with the initials ‘PH’ embroidered in white.

Peter Siddle took a bat out to the pre-match tribute — before a collection of the Australians’ bats and baggy green caps rested permanently for the day at the fence leading into the player’s race.

Clarke — who always wears short-sleeved shirts when batting for Australia — wore long sleeves yesterday, because that was what Hughes always did.

Most importantly, Hughes cherished Test cricket.

And somewhere that cheeky smile would have delighted in its return.