Usman Khawaja confident of recovery for first India Test

SYDNEY: Usman Khawaja´s comeback from surgery on his knee is ahead of schedule with the opener Thursday confident of being ready for the first Test against India next month.

The experienced left-hander, who hit a fighting hundred to help Australia scramble to a draw in the first Test against Pakistan last month, has been out of action since the second Test of that series.

His stability at the top of the order -- which is already without the banned Steve Smith and David Warner -- has been sorely missed after a string of recent Australian batting capitulations.

He underwent surgery late last month and is already back running.

"I´m 10 kilograms lighter than I was in South Africa maybe seven months ago, so I´m sure that helps the knees in some respects," he told cricket.com.au.

"My recovery is going really well so far. I´m trying to keep it cool, but it´s actually going really well.

"I feel like I´m a little bit ahead of where I should be," added the 31-year-old.

"If I keep doing the little things right -- looking after my body, being disciplined -- hopefully that´ll transition to me coming back in time."

Cricket Australia´s website said there was a chance Khawaja could play in Queensland´s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria starting on November 27.