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Sourav Kothari relishes beating Pankaj Advani in world billiards

When his father Manoj Kothari became World billiards champion in 1990, Sourav was only six years old.

By Sujata Sarkar

New Delhi, Dec 10: Sourav Kothari used to dream of being World champion when he was only ten years old.

When his father Manoj Kothari became World billiards champion in 1990, Sourav was only six years old.

Sourav Kothari relishes beating Pankaj Advani in world billiards

It was not possible for him to understand his father's achievement back then. But Sourav began dreaming of being world champion one day since then.

The dream could not be fulfilled despite a stunning victory against Pankaj Advani, as Sourav lost in the final to Peter Gilchrist.

Speaking over phone from Bengaluru on Friday (Dec 9) said,"I became sad only after thinking that I failed to touch my father's feat in spite of having reached the final of the championship. It was my dream to become World champion. In my childhood I used to watch the World championship trophy everyday after dad won it in 1990. It was at our home from 1990 to 1997."

Despite being upset for not having won the title, Sourav said he has one major achievement from this championship. That was defeating legendary Pankaj Advani in the semi-final.

Sourav said,"I lost to Pankaj before, in spite of talking a formidable lead in the final game. But this time I was cautious before the match against him. Pankaj is, no doubt, one of the all-time best players in this field. And he is so accurate and innovative that one has to be flawless to beat him."

The World champion runner-up even thought of quitting the game last year following poor performance in the tournaments consistently.

He said, “I became so frustrated that I started thinking of retirement from the game. But it was my father, the coach and mentor who again brought me back into the game by inspiring me. Shrugging off my frustration, I came back with a title in the Asian championship and also earned the number three rank in the world."

OneIndia News

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:22 [IST]
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