Michael Clarke with Australia team doctor Peter Brukner, after injuring his hamstring in the first Test. Picture Simon Cross Source: News Corp Australia

We look at the five burning questions faced by Clarke and the Test team.

WILL HE PLAY AGAIN?

A read through Clarke’s most recent tour diary reveals that his chronic back injury has become an almost daily concern with hours spent on the physio table and the MedX machine just to keep him on the park.

Clarke has said with some degree of pride that, until now, he has managed the degenerative disc condition since he was 17 and missed only one Test because of it.

Michael Clarke walks down the race after Australia won the first Test. AFP PHOTO: SAEED KHAN. Source: AFP

But the rhetoric has changed markedly as injuries have proliferated and an extended period on the sidelines awaits.

Tellingly, Clarke was not asked about his long-term future in the game when he volunteered at a press conference in Adelaide yesterday: “There’s certainly a chance I might never play again”.

Clarke had merely been asked by a reporter whether he would participate in the World Cup, which begins on February 14. That he felt compelled to disclose such a bleak long-term outlook moments after Australia’s epic triumph over India can’t be a good sign.

Nathan Lyon has guided Australia to a dramatic 48-run victory in the emotional first Test against India at Adelaide Oval.

On the plus side, it is worth considering the path Clarke has trodden over the last three weeks: the feud with Cricket Australia’s selectors, the tragic loss of his “little brother”, the support role he played for the Hughes family and teammates, the touching tributes before the media and mourners in Macksville, the back and hamstring injuries in Adelaide that could not stop him from posting from a century for the ages.

Clarke barely slept in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’ passing (and received none of his regular treatment) and again when he worked on his back through the night with team physio Alex Kountouris after day two of the first Test.

He looked tired, emotionally drained and in physical pain at the post-match press conference. Perhaps with a chance to rest and heal, he will feel more compelled to push through to the Ashes next year and beyond.

Michael Clarke hugs David Warner, while captaincy candidate Steve Smith looks on. Pic Mark Brake Source: News Corp Australia

WHO IS THE CAPTAIN IN WAITING?

Brad Haddin is odds-on to lead Australia for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series but, at 37, it’s unlikely he would continue in the role beyond the 2015 Ashes series.

Haddin would become Australia’s 45th Test captain and the oldest to make his leadership debut since Jack Ryder in 1928.

Australia’s 44th Test skipper, Shane Watson, led the team in Delhi last year, however his indifferent form with the bat and uncertain place at No. 3 would make him an unlikely candidate.

Both Allan Border and Ian Chappell have penned columns in recent weeks backing Steve Smith to be appointed Australia’s next long-term captain.

The Australian cricket writer Peter Lalor says Australian captain Michael Clarke is in a 'rapid decline' but believes he will aim to lead his side to one last Ashes series.

That would be a huge step up in responsibility for a 25-year-old enjoying his first successful season in Test cricket, but Smith’s temperament and tactical nous are highly regarded by selectors.

And then there’s David Warner. At 28, Warner is Australia’s next best batsman after Clarke and a man transformed from the controversy-prone batsman of the past.

Whether the burden of captaincy would impact on his free-spirited batting is an issue selectors will consider given his importance at the top of the order.

Shaun Marsh talks with national selector Rod Marsh. Photo by Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

WHO WOULD TAKE HIS PLACE IN THE BATTING LINE-UP?

Australia lost not only a good man in Phillip Hughes. They lost an audacious batting talent who was all was all but confirmed to reclaim his position in Australia’s top order.

Shaun Marsh will presumably get the nod for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series in Clarke’s absence, but the 31-year-old will need to improve on both his Test (493 runs @ 32.86) and first class (5,480 runs @ 36.77) returns if he is to hold down the position long-term.

Alex Doolan (116 runs @ 16.57) has had a quiet Sheffield Shield campaign since being dropped from the Test squad but, encouragingly, a handful of other batsman with international experience are finding form.

Ed Cowan (590 runs at 65.55) has notched four centuries already this Shield season, while Adam Voges (509 runs @ 101.80) and Callum Ferguson (382 @ 52.57) have also been in the runs.

Among the highly touted youngsters, NSW prodigy Nic Maddison has scored 126 runs @ 63.00 in two Shield games this season, while Jordan Silk has notched 207 runs @ 25.87 in five games for Tasmania. And Ryan Carters, after a slow start, scored 198 for the Blues against Queensland last week.

Australian captain Michael Clarke fronts the media after his side's first Test victory against India at Adelaide Oval.

HOW WOULD AUSTRALIA COPE WITHOUT HIM?

The Aussies are approaching another troubling transitional period.

Haddin, Chris Rogers (37) and Ryan Harris (35) are presumably entering their final year in international cricket and will leave significant voids. And questions are being asked as to whether Shane Watson and Peter Siddle — at ages 33 and 30 respectively — are short on form or in terminal decline.

Clarke, at 33, had been counted on to hold the team together for another few seasons, however his back and hamstring issues could thwart the selectors’ plans.

Losing 108 Tests, 8,432 runs and immeasurable leadership qualities from any line-up would be tough to contend with. Losing him as part of an exodus that could see more than one-third of the team depart would be particularly painful.

Australian skipper Michael Clarke has left Adelaide Oval for scans with a suspected injury to his right hamstring.

WHO WILL MAKE THE CALL ON HIS PLAYING FUTURE?

Clarke provided a hint at yesterday’s press conference that it might not be medical staff who make the final decision on his playing career.

“I’ve got to be honest with myself and have a good, hard think about things,” he said.

Clarke will turn 34 before the Ashes and has won every major prize in world cricket (with the exception of the World Twenty20 trophy). He was primed to play through the pain and lead Australia in a home World Cup and pursue a Test series victory in England that eluded his predecessor, Ricky Ponting.

If medical staff determine his hamstring and back injuries require an extended recovery period, Clarke would be forced to weigh up whether the prizes on offer after the 2015 Ashes are worth the gruelling rehab he would be forced to endure to get there.

The Adelaide Test would stand as one of the great farewell appearances if the curtain was to be drawn on Clarke’s career. No one who watched it will ever forget the manner in which Clarke overcame unimaginable personal grief, rallied a distraught team, scored a century after retiring hurt and made a perfect declaration to set Australia up for a famous victory over India.

“It was the most important Test match of my career,” he said.