Australia cricket team coach Darren Lehmann has said that he feels proud of his players at the way they have handled the passing of their former teammate Phillip Hughes.
Lehmann's squad, excluding skipper Michael Clarke who's due to arrive later on Friday, were set to train in at the Park 25 ground in Adelaide on Friday ahead of Tuesday's first Test against India. Clarke, who's battling a hamstring injury, is set to bat in the nets at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
While praising Clarke's leadership, Lehmann said that the skipper is pretty mentally strong, adding that he was with the Hughes family and held himself together really well and led the team really well, News.com.au reported.
Clarke gave an emotional address at Hughes' funeral on Wednesday in Macksville, NSW.
Lehmann said that the skipper flies in on Friday, and they would get him there the next day, get him batting and see how Clarke goes. He said that as long as the skipper is fine, he can do the running and bat at the level he needs to, adding that they would be fine.
The coach said that they want their captain playing, adding that it's as simple as that. He also said that he is very proud of Clarke but proud of all of them, the way the players have handled it.
Lehmann believes that returning to the nets would be a remedy for his players as they dealt with their grief, adding that only time would tell. He also said that his message to the players was to stick together.
Lehmann said that they lost a family member from their cricket community and now it's a case of rallying around his family and the whole cricket family and get on with what they do well and that's play some cricket. But, the coach added that he is sure the players are going to be fine, claiming that they're looking forward to actually getting out there and playing some cricket and training and getting ready for a Test match.
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