John F Gloster officially took charge as physio of the Indian cricket team during the first match of the Challenger Series in Mumbai on Monday.

The Australian, who is a temporary replacement for Andrew Leipus, who is in Adelaide for a course in physiotherapy, said he is happy to be in India.

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"I am very excited about the challenge ahead in terms of fitness and injury of players," he told reporters at the Wankhede stadium on Monday.

Gloster, who had a four-year stint in similar capacity with the Bangladesh cricket team, said he had no hesitation in accepting the challenge of being the physio of what he considers the world's second-best team.

Although there has been no official announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Gloster said he "received his contract by fax" and agreed to the terms and conditions, "but the intricacies will need to be worked out in person".

Talking about his stint with Bangladesh, he said: "I left Bangladesh at a period when I wanted to and I feel that it was a good time to finish with them. I learnt a lot during my tenure with them."

"I enjoyed a lot with the Bangladesh team and the experience gained is invaluable. The conditions in India and Bangladesh are quite similar and it will help me adapt."

He said he met Leipus in Adelaide before coming over to India, and got some valuable data and feedback from the former India physio.

"Andrew has given me a brief background about the Indian team. But it is important to form your own opinion after meeting the players.

"Andrew has been with this team for so long and has built a very good relation. When he met me he said that one of the biggest disappointments of his life is not be involved with India's home series against Pakistan.

"He feels that it will be a very great series and he is sad not to be a part of it."

Gloster, who had a brief stint with the Indian team for a couple of days during the 2003 TVS Cup final, when Leipus had to return to South Africa for personal work, said he is not overawed by the profile of the players in the star-studded Indian team, but only concerned about treating them.

"I am only focused on the injury of the players and not on the profile of the player," he declared.