Australian captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of playing out Sheffield Shield next week but hopes remain he’ll be fit for the first Test against India.

Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said on Thursday it was still not clear how long Clarke would be out of action with his latest hamstring injury.

However, he said it was “not that dramatic that he’s going to miss the whole summer” and he was hoping the skipper would be able to lead Australia into the first Test at the Gabba on December 4.

It is the third time Clarke has injured the hamstring since August.

Kountouris said Clarke, who has long been troubled by a degenerative back condition, had suffered an acute flare up with his back which was complicating the hamstring issue.

He was asked how long Clarke would be out of action with the latest injury suffered during last weekend’s opening ODI against South Africa in Perth a week ago.

“I can’t put a figure on it right now,” he said.

“As he is right now, he hasn’t started running, he hasn’t started doing any of the functional things that we want him to do. He’s not able to bat.

“So he’s not ready to play at the moment.

“His next game of cricket is a grade game on the weekend and he’s not available for that.

“There’s a shield game starting next Tuesday and he’s not available for that. That’s as far as we’re looking.

“He’s need to start running and start doing things before we make a decision on whether he’s OK to play.

“I’m still hopeful that he might be right for the first Test because that’s two weeks away.”