Sydney: Injured Australian batsman Michael Clarke has said that he is hopeful of participating in the final stages of the upcoming seven-match ODI series in India.
Clarke is doubtful for the tournament, as he is still recovering from the back injury that had forced him out of the ICC Champions Trophy held in South Africa last month.
The 28-year-old has resumed light training and believes that he could return to play before the conclusion of the seven-match series, which gets under way in Vadodara on October 25 and concludes in Mumbai on November 11.
“It's going ok, I had a bit of a jog this morning which is fantastic. It's good to get out of the house and get back into the gym, but at the moment I'm having regular physio. I'm going pretty slow and steady to be honest, but I'm confident that I can continue building on my progress and try and get right as soon as possible,” The Independent quoted Clarke, as saying.
“I hope I can get over to India and take part in this one-day series. I'd really like to go there even if it's the last couple of games to help the boys out there and also as preparation leading up to the first Test match (against the West Indies) in Brisbane. But, I'm in a position where I'm not willing to risk coming back too early because I want it to be 100 percent right before I start doing too much,” he added.
Meanwhile, Clarke also welcomed the challenge of leading the Australian Twenty20 team following Ricky Ponting''s decision to retire from the game''s shortest version.
“I'm honoured, it's fantastic for me to get this opportunity and I just want to try and make the most of it. I think our performances in Twenty20 cricket have been a little bit inconsistent over the last probably 12 to 24 months and it''s an area of our game that we're trying to work hard on,” Clarke said.
“I believe we've got a lot of talent and I think the group of guys that have all played a part in the Twenty20 to date have all got the potential and the talent to play that form of the game,” he added.