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Journalism of Courage
For someone who has dominated the world billiards and snooker scene for over two-and-a-half decades now,Geet Sethi admits one cue sport remains a puzzle for him: pool. Having won eight world billiards title professional and amateur the veteran cueist explains why Indians traditionally dont fare well when it comes to the shorter format.
As far as pool is concerned,I would consider it to be a tricky game. Even the No.1 can get upset by a player who may be lying below in the charts, Sethi told Sportline on the sidelines of the womens 8-ball National Pool Championships here in the Capital.
Pool requires excellence as well as some amount of luck. The Indian players are deft when it comes to potting,but they need to hone their skills more, he said.
With the Asian Games nine months away,Sethi observed that having a foreign coach would help prepare the players for the event.
We dont need a foreign coach for billiards or snooker,because we are among the best in the world there. However,the scene changes when it comes to pool. I firmly believe that pool players will benefit a lot from the experience of George Decer (the Filipino coach India have hired). He was a fine player himself, acknowledged Sethi.
Meanwhile,the 1998 Bangkok Games Asian Gold medalist said he himself was looking forward to repeat the feat at Guangzhou,China. I am practicing hard in Ahmedabad,playing snooker. Being a professional,I cant afford to relax and since the Asian Games are approaching,I will focus on my weaker areas and work on them, said Sethi.
Along with my routine sessions,I will be participating in the qualifiers for the Asian Games. I think all the top Indian players would be competing which will be a good testing exercise. The top two will be selected to represent the country in the Asian circuit, he said.
While he said India was the team to beat in the Games,Sethi warned that countries like Thailand,Myanmar and Singapore were fast catching up and could give serious competition. India being the strongest in snooker and billiards will face a tough fight with other South Asian countries. Thailand,Myanmar and Singapore are some of the best opponents and they always give us strong resistance,which keeps us on our toes.
Having said that,we expect a better performance this time adorned with medals since we dominate the other two cue sports.
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