Lara will play only if fully fit

West Indies [ Images ] captain Brian Lara [ Images ] is unlikely to play against India [ Images ] in the crucial Champions Trophy [ Images ] encounter at the Sardar Patel stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad [ Images ], on Thursday.

"I am feeling better than the last five-six days but I am not yet sure for tomorrow's match," said Lara, who suffered from back spasms while batting against Australia last week.

"The final decision will be taken tomorrow. Of course, I would love to make it out there," he added.

Lara said he was not completely comfortable during the work-out and knock he had the earlier day and would not run the risk of playing without being 100 per cent fit.

"The strenuous session I had yesterday [Tuesday] was very difficult; things didn't look too good. I will try and bat as much as I can today but it's difficult to go full out."

The West Indies hasn't had a full squad to choose from, with Corey Collymore flying home before the start of the tournament and Shivnarine Chanderpaul [ Images ] suffering from food poisoning during the Australia [ Images ] game. A stomach bug also kept coach Bennett King out of Wednesday's net session.

"It is a little frustrating. The rest of the guys have stepped up well; it shows that we have depth in the team. They have filled in the gaps well, but at the end of the day you would still like a full squad of 14 to choose from."

The left-handed Chanderpaul has recovered fully and will be back in action against India.

In the absence of Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan [ Images ] will don the mantle of captaincy. The 26-year-old did a superb job against Australia, making some instinctive changes as the West Indies won by 10-runs.