Katich looms as unlucky batsman

Simon Katich is preparing himself for the disappointment of being left out of Australia's Test side in India after making back-to-back hundreds in the Caribbean. Katich's strong form continued when he was the only one of Australia's batsmen to post a half-century in the weekend's practice match in Jaipur.

It followed his comeback tour of the West Indies earlier this year, when he replaced the injured Matthew Hayden as opener and scored 113 in the second Test and 157 in the third. But with Hayden likely to return for the first Test in Bangalore and the allrounder Shane Watson almost certain to replace Andrew Symonds at No. 6, it leaves Katich the odd man out.

"I treated what happened in the West Indies as a bonus," Katich said after the warm-up game. "I wasn't supposed to play. I was there as an extra batsman and got an opportunity because of his [Hayden's] injury.

"It's a similar scenario with him back fit, I'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'm pretty sure he'll be fit and go straight back in the team. I'm just preparing so I can try and make sure I'm ready, because it's a long tour and anything can happen in India."

Katich is one of only four men in Australia's squad who has played a Test in India, although barring injuries he will find it hard to force his way back in during this four-Test trip. However, he did get the chance to open in the tour game as Phil Jaques sat out and decided only to bat in the nets due to his stiff back.

Australia now head to Hyderabad to start the "official" portion of the tour; they organised the extra week in Jaipur to acclimatise to conditions when the Champions Trophy in Pakistan was called off. Katich said the chance to practice on varying pitches in Jaipur was a huge benefit for the side.

"Some hadn't grass on, some were a bit more worn than others," he said. "Even the centre wicket after two or three days started to play like a third-day wicket. It's good to be able to practise that. You don't always get the opportunity to simulate what's going to happen in a match."