The time difference has allowed him to, and Ishant Sharma has had one eye on his opponents and one on his team mates in Kuala Lumpur.

The lanky 18-year old paceman is busy focusing on the Australian team for the finals,

but has found ample time to check on the progress of his batchmates, helping them plot a few dismissals in the under-19 World Cup.

Ishant has been in daily touch with fellow-Delhi paceman Pradeep Sangwan, who has been India’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament. “Yes I have been following the scores and performances regularly over net and have been in constant touch with Sangwan and Tanmay. The team is doing really well and I am sure that they will come back with the World Cup,” he says.

Ishant had been part of this bunch all of last year, but has leapfrogged into the senior side and his performances have catapulted him into the bigger league. “The under-19 days were good fun and we played some good cricket too,” he says.

So where would Ishant really want to be? “Obviously here in Australia,” he says without a twitch. “The World Cup final is good, but Australia is bigger and I am sure that both sides will win,” he says.

Ishant, like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh have all wished the Indian team. The juniors have, in turn, collectively passed on their best wishes for the team to Ishant, their boy in the men’s team.