It is surprising and striking. Young and budding cricketers consciously or unconsciously are influenced by the seniors in the game. Podar's Aditya Prakash Tare has stylised himself on The Great Wall Rahul Dravid. Watching him bat, you cannot mistake the same compact, defensive mould, the shades of aggression in between and the ability for long innings. And if that doesn't look convincing enough, Aditya is also a wicket-keeper.

Compared to some of his contemporaries, Aditya started a few years later -- at the age of eight. But he had cricket in his instinct and blood.

It was his performance in the Giles Shield that paved his way for further success. In two matches, he scored a patient 116 and 20 plus.

In the interregnum, he played lots of tournaments -- the Elf Cup and the Ghosh Trophy. In these outings, his scores were 65, 38no, 48 and 14. More than his scores, it was his penchant to stay at the wickets that caught the attention.

Aditya tasted his first success when he was selected by the Elf Academy for their August fitness camp. It only turned out to be a stepping stone for bigger successes. In 2001-02, he found his way into the Mumbai U-14 probables. However, this was also the period when Aditya concentrated hard at the nets. And the perseverance paid off.

2002-03 was a prolific one. And Aditya had everyone's appreciation with his consistency during the Harris Shield tournament. His scores were an impressive 83no, 92, 48, 49 and 52 in five matches.

Says Aditya: "My parents have always encouraged me to greater heights. My own performance has been satisfactory and I feel my chances to be selected for the U-17 in August are very very bright".

Asked how he could be so confident, Aditya says: "Not only with the bat, but I have performed well behind the stumps too. Everybody agrees that I have performed better amongst all other wicket-keepers. That will give me an extra edge during selection".

His present coach for U-17, Kalpesh Koli has worked wonders on him. Aditya has also displayed captaincy skills -- he led the Chembur Centre team that made it to finals.

Like most of his generation, Aditya is a great admirer of Adam Gilchrist. "He is the best keeper in the world, but I would rather emulate him in his keeping. In batting, I idolise Rahul Dravid who is so solid and is so consistent".

So far, Aditya is on the right track. Right now he has kept his fingers crossed, hoping he would be in the U-17 team. Well, these may some anxious moments for him, but given his performance, there is no reason why he shouldn't be in.