Watching him bowl his quick stuff and bat with free arms it is difficult to decide whether Shoaib Sheikh -- the under-19 lad from Podar College -- is a specialist bowler or a specialist batsman. For, he has been excelling at both, giving ample testimony that here is an exciting all-round prospect.

Like many a budding cricketer, Shoaib started young -- when he was in the third standard. But unlike many of his ilk, he did not have an instituionalised backing of any academy. He just had his cricketing instincts to glide him in the infancy of his career.

Perhaps it was to the good that Shoaib looked at the long, high ladder ahead of him rung-by-rung. In his Vasant Vihar School, Thane days, Shoaib played plenty of inter-school matches. The Harris Shield and the Giles Shield apart from local tournaments. His sizzling talent couldn't have been missed.

He was soon selected for the Mumbai Cricket Association camp. And immediately hit a purple patch. In the Saamna Trophy, Shoaib scored two hundreds and two fifties in four matches. In the Elf Cup, he scored one hundred and two fifties in three matches. He was adjudged Man of the Series in both the tournaments. That was heady success for someone who had stood out on his own cricketing merit.

Such talent couldn't have been left raw. His coach Kiran Salgaonkar gave finishing touches to his immense skills. In 2000, Shoaib led the Bombay Under-14, scoring a hundred against Maharashtra. Against Gujarat, he was at his all-round best scoring 89 and scalping five wickets.

Propelled to the Under-16 team, Shoaib's performance was "OK" by his standards. His 54 against Delhi caught attention. In the Under-17 matches in 2003, Shoaib captured 14 wickets in four matches at a miserly rate, showing he could be as devastating with the ball.

This has been a great year for Shoaib. He got into Under-19, where his talents were fine-tuned in the Zonal Academy and a two-month camp at the MIG Club. Former Test stars-turned coaches Chandrakant Pandit and Abey Kuruvilla gave him valuable tips.

His finest hour came at the Sportstar Under -19 Trophy where his performance in three matches was : 80 runs, 3 wickets, 99 runs, 5 wickets and 54 runs and 3 wickets. Needless to say, he was named Man of the Series.

Shoaib's first outing in the new Kanga League season (his third year of the tournament) has started with a bang. He scalped four wickets for the Khar Gymkhana.

With his consistently remarkable performances with the bat and the ball, Shoaib is knocking at the Ranji doors. Says a modest Shoaib: All credit goes to my mother and uncle. They have always been very supportive of me. My dad is with Merchant Navy, so I don't get to hear from him much. But I am sure, he should be pleased with my progress".

Shoaib says Sachin Tendulkar and South African Jacques Kallis are his idols. "I love the way Sachin plays. And Kallis is such a great all-rounder".

Well, Shoaib may evoke the images of Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar as namesake. But he would rather step into Kallis' shoes. If he continues the way he has, he could be the country's answer to Kallis.