ONGC-IBSF World Billiards Championship 2008 :: Bangalore - India

01 - 10 September 2008

Live from Bangalore - Day Three - 03-09-2008

Living upto the expectations of the huge "Pankaj fan club" , the Wonder boy of Indian billiards, 23 year old Pankaj Advani advanced to the semifinals of the ONGC sponsored IBSF Points Format World billiards championship here at the McDowell Air conditioned billiards hall at the KSBA complex on Wednesday evening to the delight of the packed audience.

Pankaj beat the ace Singapore cueist, Peter Gilchrist by 4-1 games to make the round of four. Peter did show signs of his capability by wresting the third game after being down by two games and he did that in a tremendous show of grit and determination but the elegant Indian was not to be denied as he completed the rout in a manner only befitting of a classy player.

The Indian Maestro, Geet Sethi meanwhile was giving a classical display of his own outplaying the dodgy Alok Kumar by four games to two. When Geet is on song he is a delight to watch and so he was in this best of seven games encounter on this day. It was not that Alok was wanting in his approach or display but what could he possibly do when up against the caliber of Geet. To take two games from the kitty of the debonair cueist, is an achievement in itself for the form that he is in, barring Pankaj it would indeed be a tall order to expect anyone to fell him.

The saying --- "When the going gets tough the tough get going" was proved to the hilt even as the defending champion, Rupesh Shah raised his game by a notch in deference to the need of the situation to quell whatever his country-mate Dhruv Sitwala had and more. Rupesh has shown great character, improving by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. Today, he was simply irrepressible as he trounced the challenge of Dhruv winning by four games to one to set up a clash with the favourite, Pankaj Advan in the semifinals.

Nevertheless, the most commendable performance came from the cue of Devendra Joshi who beat the dangerous floater, Praput Chaithanasakun of Thailand by four games to two, not only entering the semis of the championship but also making it an all India affair. Coincidently, it was here in Bangalore in the year 1990, although in the time format of IBSF World billiards championship that four Indians were in the fray of the championships in the round of four. Then the four were Subash Agarwal, Nalin Patel, Ashok Shandilya and Manoj Kothari where ultimately Kothari had won beating Ashok Shandilya in the final.

The very fact that the four Indians have shown great character, class and skill in their quarter finals makes up for a very compelling semifinal that is in store for the cynosures of the game tomorrow.

Geet had superb breaks of 150 in the second, 149 in the third and a 143 in the fourth game in his win while Joshi struck a 138 in his third, a 150 in his fourth and a 145 in his sixth game. On the other hand, Rupesh had a 152 in his second, and a 140 in his third game during his victory whereas, Pankaj had in the process of triumphing, breaks of a 137 in the fourth and a 136 in his fifth game. A plethora of breaks indeed, in the very demanding format of 150 points to a game.

The dice is loaded and the stage is set for a battle royale in the semis when in the morning, Geet Sethi faces Devendra Joshi while in the evening it is Pankaj, the time format world billiards champion up against the defending points format world billiards champion, Rupesh Shah. If the prediction made in this column has been proved wrong then even one can be satisfied that by egging on the players not in the expected line up have raised their game to another level to prove that they are worthy contenders for the top four slot

CSI Correspondent - I S Malik