Australia captain Michael Clarke has claimed the Test series against India on their home turf will be one of the toughest challenges of his career.

Clarke said the selectors sent their players early to India so that they could get properly acclimatized with the difficult sub-continental conditions.

Clarke embarked on the first leg of three potentially career-defining series on Tuesday with question marks over his fitness and uncertainty over the team that must defy recent history to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Clarke's last Test tour of the sub-continent, in 2010, was not a happy one. It was the start of a horror three months for both Clarke and the Australian team culminating in a humiliating drubbing against England.

Clarke, despite his reputation as a high-class player of spin, managed only 35 runs from four innings against India, which was then ranked World No. 1. Australia has triumphed just once in India in more than 43 years and is not favoured this time either.

Clarke said touring India is as tough a challenge as he has had in his career, adding every time he has been there on a Test tour it has been extremely difficult.

Clarke said they know the series is going to be tough, and they also know how good India is, but they are looking forward to it.

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