Australian captain Pat Cummins, has provided an optimistic update on his recovery from the ankle injury that sidelined him from the ongoing Champions Trophy. The fast bowler, who has been an integral part of Australia’s setup for years, was forced to miss the high-octane tournament due to the injury. But, Cummins is now incredibly positive about his fitness heading into the upcoming Indian Premier League and World Test Championship final. In the absence of Cummins, Steve Smith is leading Australia in champions Trophy.

"The ankle is all going strong, been able to give it a good rest and then been building up slowly, which you don't get to do when you play lots of cricket," Cummins told ESPNcricinfo.

"It's feeling as strong as it has for a fair while. Should be fine [for the IPL], that's the plan. So have a few weeks of bowling, building back up and then hopefully don't have to worry about it for a while."

Cummins noted that his ankle required careful monitoring as it became a serious issue during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

"It's something that we've opted never to have surgery on or intervene too much, just a lot to rehab. Having this break meant that I could get a couple of cortisones and really rehab it well the last couple of weeks."

Cummins expressed his positivity of gradually building up his workload during the IPL and is looking forward to playing a big role in the three-Test series against West Indies following the WTC final.

"Sometimes by missing the odd tour, you actually end up playing more cricket for the whole year," he said. I think in the past you used to play everything, whereas now, absolutely, you try and make sure the players are at their peak for as long as you can for the year and to play as much of the important stuff each year. It's just the way of the world. Everyone's used to it."

The injury was a blow not only for Cummins personally but also for the Australian team. Along with Cummins, Australia also registered the absence of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood from the Champions Trophy. Despite the absence of trio, young Australian bowlers such as Ben Dwarshuis, and Nathan Ellis, have been instrumental, playing a huge role with the ball.

"[Nathan] has always been so valuable in that he can bowl at any stage. He doesn't necessarily need to take the new ball to have big impact. He can bowl through the middle and at the end,” Cummins said.