| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
New Delhi: The countdown has begun for the much-anticipated honour series between India and Australia. But the Australians have already suffered a blow before the start of the series.
Out of action Australian vice captain Michael Clarke is desperate to play in the seven match One-day series against India but Aussie coach Tim Nielsen does not want to risk the New South Wales batsman's career by allowing him to play without being 100 per cent fit.
Before embarking the much-anticipated series, the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting rued the unavailability of his deputy.
Ponting had said, "We will obviously be missing Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken again, and Callum Ferguson being out as well means that the younger guys will get an opportunity to set up again."
But the Australian captain-in-waiting was keen to make an early return to his happy hunting ground.
Although Clarke spoke positively, his coach remained unperturbed by his vice-captain's eagerness to play in India. Coach Tim Nielsen said that he wants Clarke to be 100 per cent fit before he makes a come back. He added that he does not want to bring the New South Wales batsman back half-baked because that would be a disaster for him.
He said, "It's important Michael is 100 per cent right before he comes back. So there's no point bringing him back half-baked and hoping we can nurse him through, because there's nothing surer that it'd be a recipe for disaster for him."
With a packed schedule ahead in the upcoming Australian summer and beyond, the Aussie coach wants to play safe and does not mind to play in the seven match One-day series starting on October 25, without the man, who has been prolific on the Indian soil since his debut.
