MELBOURNE, Australia (AP):

Australia captain Michael Clarke has been forced to withdraw from the team's one-day tour of India with a lower back injury.

Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement yesterday that during the recent England ODI series Clarke's injury "flared up again and (it) has been slow to improve with his regular treatment regime."

Australia hopes to have Clarke fit for the five-test Ashes series against England beginning in November, with Kountouris adding Clarke "will require a more extensive rehabilitation period before returning to competitive cricket."

George Bailey will captain the team in Clarke's absence, with Brad Haddin as vice-captain, while Callum Ferguson will replace Clarke in the squad for the seven-match tour.

The teams will play a Twenty20 match on October 10 at Rajkot before the opening one-day match in Pune. The series ends on November 2 in Bangalore.