Sprightly wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik may not be able to match the standards of his role model Adam Gilchrist but he has his own way of achieving success with the gloves and the bat.
"It is not that easy. Gilchrist is a class act, and what he has done as a wicketkeeper and batsman will be difficult to emulate, but I have my own way of doing it," said the 19-year-old Chennai lad.
"Gilchrist is my idol, and his achievements have been an inspiration for me. Hopefully over the years I would have matched some of those achievements."
Karthik has brought a burst of energy to the team with his keeping skills. And the team members have been quick in taking the youngster in their wings.
Coach John Wright said Karthik has adapted to international cricket like a duck taking to water.
"He has filled in well. We see a potential there. He has brought energy to the side and the players enjoy having him around," Wright said of the teenager.
It is surprising that Karthik would not be there when the Test series ends. But the youngster understands the reasons for him not being part of the one-day side.
"It is pretty disappointing but the selectors expect me to get some runs and that is OK," Karthik said.
Wright gave credit to the selectors for the team they had picked.
"I think it is not such bad thing. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done well in the Under-19 World Cup and also on the India 'A' tours," he said of the player who will don the keeper's role in the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh.
"From all reports that we have received, he is suited for the one-day game, and the selectors thought it was time to give him a chance," said the coach.
"It is tough on Karthik but that is what the selectors had to decide, and it is not a bad thing."
Karthik impressed in his very first appearance on the international stage with his stumping of England captain Michael Vaughan in a one-dayer this summer. He had grassed a simple catch of Vaughan early in his innings but kept his cool to take a leg side take and whip the bails off in flash towards the closing stages of the game.
"I tried to keep it simple and not look back at the dropped catch. I told myself such things are part of the game and kept my focus on the next ball," he said.
He had a baptism by fire in Test cricket when he had to keep to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh on a venomous track at the Wankhede Stadium against Australia two months back.
It was a courageous performance as the ball kept kicking off good length, beating the batsmen all ends up and posing danger to the man behind the stumps.
But there are some shortcomings in his game and Karthik agreed that he needed to work on low gathering.
"Yes, sometimes the ball just scoots through. The low takes are pretty difficult and I am working on it. It is a matter of footwork and watching the ball more closely."
He said he was not handicapped by being a right hander while keeping to left-handed batsmen.
"I don't think being a right hander or left hander really matters. If I am going to find it difficult when keeping to left-handed batsmen, then it would be the same for the left-handed keepers while standing behind right hand batsmen. So it is not going to make a big difference."
More from rediff