Giant-killer Rawat looks to chart his own path

Although he won only one match,that against White,he lost four after offering some tough play throughout. “I can see a lot of improvement in my game. Having known my opponents,I have learned to keep my cool and focus on my game,” the 18 year old says.

Pinning White,though was the take-home-moment to cherish for Rawat. After being up by two sets in his match,Rawat conceded two to take the game on the decider. Even though he clinched the first two sets,he says White was impeccable in the next two. Rawat acknowledged White’s temperament who despite being two sets down,advanced his game to bring the scoreline at par.

The day belonged to Rawat who admits he got lucky after White missed a straight pot. “At that moment I knew that the game could be mine. Thankfully,I kept my nerves and came up with a winning break of 60 in the set,” says Rawat. Though he hasn’t got the chance to speak to White and get to know about the faults in his game,for him the two words of praise he received from White–‘good game’ was priceless.

His coach,Mukesh Rehani who only had the opportunity to converse with him before the match echoed similar advice to Rawat. In fact his advice contained an element of motivation that was enough for his ward to deliver the best in him. “Every coach will say that play your natural game,focus hard and try not to loose patience but as soon as I learned that he is going to face Jimmy White,I only told him to enjoy the game. I said you don’t get such chances very often,so go and just enjoy the moment. I am happy that he performed above my expectations,” adds Rehani.

“I feel that it was a great learning experience. Now that I have a 6-red tournament ahead in Lucknow,I think I still need a lot of practice but I can only plan when I reach Delhi,Tuesday morning,” says a Rawat,eagerly anticipating the road ahead.