Recuperating from an ankle injury, Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh says he is "hopeful" of playing next month's warm-up game against India 'A' as he eagerly waits for a clear picture to emerge this Friday.
The 29-year-old Marsh suffered an ankle injury in the opening match of the Indian Premier League in September and has been out of action since then.
He was included in the Australia 'A' squad which will play two three-day tour games against India 'A' on December 6-8 and December 11-13 respectively.
"I'm hopeful, I'll probably find out this week whether I'm ruled in or out," Marsh was quoted as saying by 'The West Australia'.
"I'll probably know on Friday, I've got a few things to tick off rehab-wise and then go from there."
Marsh said he won't be able to bowl and might play as a batsman.
"I started running last week and I've got a few kilos to shed before I start playing. It's been a pretty slow process but speaking to a few AFL players about it, it gets pretty good quickly at the end so hopefully that's the case in the next couple of weeks.
"At this stage it will just be batting, I wouldn't imagine I would be bowling until midway through the Big Bash at this point in time."
Marsh spent 14 days of quarantine after returning from Dubai and has been enduring a tough time being on the sidelines watching his WA teammates play in Sheffield Shield in Adelaide.
"It's been quite slow and frustrating to watch cricket again for the summer," Marsh said.
"Hopefully I'm a couple of weeks away and I’ll be right for the start of the Big Bash. I'm really excited to get back, it’s been a long few months and I can't wait."
Marsh was not included in the 17-member squad which will play against India in the four-match Test series and he admitted it will be "hard" to make it to any of the national teams this year.
"It's going to make it hard for me. They've picked their Test squad for the summer and I am not in it. I just want to get back and play Big Bash," he said.
"I'm really excited to get back, it's been a long few months and I can’t wait."
