Sydney, Nov 3 Australia's wicketkeeper Brad Haddin returns to first-class cricket today and the injury-enforced break might be a blessing in disguise for him.

Haddin is also planning to play in the Indian Premier League next year for Mumbai Indians who are most likely to secure his services.

Haddin's focus is the first Test of the Australian summer, against the West Indies from November 26.

"The plan was always to be right for the first Test. I was a little bit nervous going into the [one-day] game because I wasn't sure how it was going to respond but it's come through well," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Haddin, as saying.

"I hadn't played cricket for 11 weeks. It's been a frustrating break but I think it will freshen me up, especially with all the cricket the boys have been playing and, the way blokes are going down at the moment, it might work out to be a bit of godsend," he said.

Haddin broke the ring finger on his left hand during the warm-up for the third Ashes Test, paving the way for Manou to debut, but carried the injury through the last two Tests.

The 32-year-old expressed no regrets about playing through the pain, which he knew could make the injury worse, and in the early tages of his recovery from the operation, he struggled to change the nappy on his 13-month-old son, Zac, let alone grip a cricket bat. (ANI)