Sydney, Feb 13 : 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 added 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 reports.

Clarke''s last Test tour of the subcontinent, 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, the paper added.

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, and hence the Australian team hasn''t won that much over here.

 The captain said the Test series against India is going to be a huge challenge, and the players know that.

Clarke added that is partly why they are trying to prepare as well as they can by sending players early to India to get them used to conditions, to give themselves the best chance.

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. (ANI)