Wild card for Kothari at World Championships

Sourav Kothari got a wild card for the World Billiards Championships that starts in Pune on Friday. He will be the ninth Indian in the line-up after the likes of Geet Sethi, Rupesh Shah and defending champion Pankaj Advani. HT reports.

Updated on: Aug 17, 2010, 24:26:12 IST

Hindustan Times | By HT Correspondent, Kolkata

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Sourav Kothari got a wild card for the World Billiards Championships that starts in Pune on Friday. He will be the ninth Indian in the line-up after the likes of Geet Sethi, Rupesh Shah and defending champion Pankaj Advani.

The 25-year-old cueist from Kolkata, who is the son of former world champion and national coach Manoj Kothari, will take part in the point format only. The format has a field of 24 players.

"I am looking forward to the tournament. This is going to be my eighth world championships," said Kothari, India's No.2 in snooker. "For the first time in the last four years, I have dropped below eighth in India but then I am in the Asian Games pool and finished second in a practice tournament in the camp ahead of Advani and Sethi. That could have led to the wild card entry," said Kothari, whose best finish in the world meet has been a quarter-final berth in Bangalore in 2008, the last time the competition was held.

The ONGC player feels his game has gone up a few notches in the last two years and he credits his father for his success.

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