Clarke ruled out for India Tour

Australia skipper Michael Clarke, who has been suffering from a back injury, has failed to recover and will miss the upcoming limited-overs tour of India in October-November, Cricket Australia said. Callum Ferguson, who did well in the Ryobi Cup, has been named Clarke's replacement while George Bailey will lead the side.

The selectors also named the squad for the one-off T20I, which includes Nic Maddinson. The tour starts with the T20I in Rajkot on October 10, followed by seven One-Day matches. The opening ODI will be played at Pune on October 13 while the last game of the series will be held at Bangalore on November 2.

National Selector John Inverarity said Clarke was keen to lead the side during the Indian tour, but he was unfortunate to miss out as he has not recovered from his long-standing back problem.

"Michael was very keen to captain the ODI team to India but unfortunately he hasn't progressed enough to be available for selection."

Speaking about the inclusion of Ferguson, Inverarity said the middle-order batsman was rewarded for showcasing fine form during the Ryobi Cup while the chief selector mentioned that Ferguson also did well for Australia A against the England Lions

"His (Clarke's) replacement is Callum Ferguson, whose form in 50-over cricket during the last Australian summer was impressive, scoring 271 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 70 in the RYOBI CUP, along with an additional three matches for Australia A against the England Lions in February scoring 149 runs in three innings at 49.66 with a strike rate of 91."

Inverarity said Bailey will captain the Australian side in Clarke's absence while mentioning that Brad Haddin will handle the role of the deputy. "George Bailey will captain the ODI team in Michael's absence. Brad Haddin will be George's vice-captain."

Inverarity also mentioned that Maddinson was included in the T20I squad because of his excellent showing during the Australia A tours and said he is likely to open with Aaron Finch in the lone T20I game.

"In addition, The NSP has added Nic Maddinson to the squad for the T20 fixture. Nic showed some sparkling form on Australia A tours during the winter. He will be in strong contention to open the batting with Aaron Finch in this game," Inverarity said.

Commenting on Clarke's injury, Australian Team Physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said: "Michael Clarke has a longstanding low back injury that requires ongoing management. During the recent England ODI series his injury flared up again and has been slow to improve with his regular treatment regime."

"Michael will therefore not be available to play the upcoming India ODI series and will require a more extensive rehabilitation period before returning to competitive cricket," Kountouris added.