Clarke admitted that this time of the year is never easy and that he still remembers him almost every day. The former Australian captain said he would have drink and celebrate his birthday, which falls on November 30. November 27 marks the 10-year anniversary of the untimely death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, a moment that shook the cricketing world to its core.
"This week is never fun ⦠thoughts go out to his family and his friends. I'm sure everybody will be thinking of him. It's hard to believe and it's still exceptionally raw. There's not many days that go by that I don't think about him, because he was just that type of character. He was a great guy and an amazing player. I'll have a drink for him today and then obviously celebrate his birthday on the 30th," Clarke told Sky Sports.
"Thought he would have played 100 Tests"
Clarke praised Hughes for the cricketing talent that he was and could have gone on to contribute a lot to Australian cricket.
"He was a very talented youngster. He probably scored more hundreds in his junior cricket career, before he turned 18, than any other player in Australian cricket history ... just unheard of. I think that's also hard, because I thought he would have played 100 Test matches and I thought he was gonna be that type of player," he added.
Phil Hughes' untimely death
Hughes, a talented left-handed batsman, was just 25 years old when after being struck by a bouncer during a domestic Sheffield Shield match on November 25, 2014. Playing for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Hughes was on 63 runs when a short-pitched delivery from Sean Abbott hit him on the neck. The cricketing fraternity was left in shock and grief. Tributes poured in from across the globe, with players, fans, and officials mourning the loss of a bright young talent.
Both the Indian and Australian teams will pay tribute to Phil Hughes in the 2nd Test at Adelaide.