'It's intimidating greeting these guys' - Wiaan Mulder

When Wiaan Mulder walked out to bat for his franchise, Lions, on Monday afternoon, he knew his innings wouldn't matter. Not because his team was 280 for 4 with one centurion, Reeza Hendricks, and another on the way, but because Mulder would only have seven overs to bat and he would not be able to continue the next day.

At around 3pm, Mulder found out he would have to get on a flight to Cape Town to meet up with the ODI squad, where he would replace the injured Wayne Parnell. "I hadn't gone in to bat yet. The coach told me I would be replaced by someone else," Mulder said. So when Nicky van den Bergh was dismissed late in the day, Mulder wasn't sure what he would do at all. "I said to the coach, 'Must he go bat, or must I go bat?' He said, 'You're still going in to bat and it's important that you do your best for us'."

Mulder faced 24 balls and scored 18, with 12 of them coming in boundaries but he insists he wasn't trying to be too aggressive. "I tried to get a not out overnight because the guy who's replacing me would get a chance to bat today. It's a funny feeling leaving the game," Mulder said.

On Tuesday morning, Wihan Lubbe took Mulder's place and Mulder arrived in the national camp. "It's extremely intimidating. Going to greet the guys - AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Kagiso Rabada - it was massive for me. I didn't know what to say to them," he said. "I just went and shook their hands and smiled. You're not too sure what to do. I think it's like that for everybody."

This is not Mulder's first time with the senior side or around these players. He went to the same school as Rabada, St Stithians, but was three years younger than him. He was included as cover for Parnell ahead of the first Test in Potchefstroom but released when Parnell passed a fitness test and he also played with de Villiers and JP Duminy for the Invitation XI against Bangladesh last week. But this time it's different because Mulder may actually get the chance to play at the highest level with them.

Even though new South Africa coach Ottis Gibson said the team may not be tinkered with for the second ODI on Wednesday he did hint that experimentation could be on the cards in the final match on Sunday if the series is wrapped up. "Maybe in the third game, if we win tomorrow, we might make some changes."

Mulder will come into contention then, especially because he has been hand-picked by Gibson to be part of South Africa's long-term plans. "He is very talented. One of the first days I got into the country, I went to the Wanderers and he was playing and I saw him and immediately liked him. I asked a question about him and they said he was in the system already and he is a very good Under-19 player," Gibson said, referring to the opening round of first-class fixtures which he attended last month. Mulder took 4 for 70 in the first innings and scored 79, impressing Gibson with his all-round ability.

Mulder is only 19 and Gibson is confident Mulder could develop into a candidate for the 2019 World Cup. That's why Gibson wants to keep him as close to the national squad as possible. "One of the things we are trying to do as a one-day team is widen the pool of players that we need to choose from. He is here now because he is talented and he is somebody who in two years, if he develops in the right way, there is no reason why he can't be part of the squad going forward. This is a good opportunity for us to have a look at him as well."

All this means expectation on Mulder is high and he has admitted he can't quite guarantee that he is ready to meet it. "I'm not too sure if I'm ready," Mulder said.

But Mulder has been surrounded with good advice, especially from former U-19 World Cup winning captain and recent Test debutant Aiden Markram. "Aiden told me a couple of months ago to, 'Go out there and be yourself. Don't try and prove a point to anybody. Don't try and be somebody that you're not'," Mulder said. "Just having that peace of mind, that no matter what you'll still be the same person, is quite a big thing. It's helped me with my success, going out there and not worrying too much about what the guys are saying or what they might say afterwards. A lot of young guys struggle with that because the mindset of just being yourself is tough. As a young guy you want to impress. You want to be the big guy. You want to be the guy who stands up when the occasion is there."

Mulder also intends to "feed off" the likes of de Villiers and Amla because he hopes to "become one of them one day" though that does not mean he will neglect his bowling. "I'd like to be a batsman who can bowl or a genuine allrounder," Mulder said.

Just like his other idol Jacques Kallis. "He has been my hero since I was a little boy. I used to watch him and say I want to be like Kallis one day."

And Mulder's sporting role-models don't end there. He also looks up to a man who is proving evergreen, tennis legend Roger Federer. "Just the way he approaches every match, the way he trains, the way he's extremely strong mentally - he can come back from wherever he is in a match. He's been my main role model in sport. His mindset is unbelievable. That's driven me massively in tough situations, and even when the going is good."